Peter Thiel

From PayPal Co-Founder to Contrarian Investor and Philosopher

tech business
Peter Thiel

Net Worth

$9B

Born

1967 (age 59)

Country

Germany

Occupation

Co-Founder of PayPal and Palantir, Investor, Author

Gender

male

Generation

Gen X

Marital Status

married

Single Parent Household

No

Education

PhD

University

Stanford University, Stanford Law School

Industries

tech, business

Wealth Category

billionaire

Wealth Origin

self-made

First-Gen Wealth

Yes

Immigrant

Yes

Overcame

  • • Immigrated to US from Germany at age 1
  • • Faced criticism for political views and support of controversial causes
  • • Successfully challenged Gawker Media in court, leading to its shutdown

Peter Thiel is a technology entrepreneur, investor, and author known for his contrarian thinking. He co-founded PayPal, was the first outside investor in Facebook, and founded Palantir Technologies. His book 'Zero to One' has become essential reading for entrepreneurs seeking to build transformative companies.

Career Timeline

1967

Born in Frankfurt, West Germany

1968 Age 1
Turning Point

Family emigrated to the United States

1989 Age 22
Milestone

Graduated from Stanford with a BA in Philosophy

1992 Age 25
Milestone

Graduated from Stanford Law School

1998 Age 31
Milestone

Co-founded PayPal (originally Confinity)

2002 Age 35
Achievement

PayPal acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion

2004 Age 37
Milestone

First outside investor in Facebook, investing $500,000 for 10.2% stake

2004 Age 37
Milestone

Founded Palantir Technologies

2005 Age 38
Milestone

Founded Founders Fund venture capital firm

2011 Age 44
Achievement

Created Thiel Fellowship, offering $100,000 to young entrepreneurs who skip or drop out of college

2014 Age 47
Achievement

Published Zero to One: Notes on Startups

2016 Age 49
Milestone

Came out as gay at Republican National Convention

2017 Age 50
Milestone

Married Matt Danzeisen

Notable Quotes

"Competition is for losers."

"We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters."