Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Peter Thiel

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Peter Thiel

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Peter Thiel made an impact.

Peter Thiel is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist, best known for co-founding PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund. He was also an early investor in . As of late 2025, his net worth was estimated at $27.5 billion, placing him among the world's wealthiest individuals.

1987: Co-founded The Stanford Review

In 1987, Peter Thiel co-founded The Stanford Review, a conservative and libertarian newspaper, at Stanford University.

1989: Graduated from Stanford University

In 1989, Peter Thiel graduated from Stanford University, after being the first editor-in-chief of The Stanford Review.

1992: Law Clerk for Judge James Larry Edmondson

From 1992 to 1993, Peter Thiel was a law clerk to Judge James Larry Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

1993: Worked at Credit Suisse

In 1993, Peter Thiel worked as a derivatives trader in currency options at Credit Suisse and as a speechwriter for William Bennett.

1996: Founded Thiel Capital Management

In 1996, Peter Thiel founded Thiel Capital Management.

1998: Co-founded Fieldlink (Confinity)

In 1998, Peter Thiel co-founded Fieldlink (later renamed Confinity) with Max Levchin after raising $1 million toward the establishment of Thiel Capital Management.

1998: Co-founded PayPal

In 1998, Peter Thiel co-founded PayPal with Max Levchin and Luke Nosek.

1998: Initial Funding for Fieldlink

In 1998, Peter Thiel provided the initial $100,000 for Fieldlink.

February 1999: Raised $500,000 for Fieldlink

In February 1999, Peter Thiel and his partners raised $500,000 for Fieldlink, largely from friends and family, including $35,000 from Thiel's parents.

1999: Confinity Launched PayPal

In 1999, Confinity launched PayPal as a type of digital wallet aimed at consumer convenience and security.

1999: PayPal Launched

In 1999, PayPal launched at a press conference, receiving $3 million in venture funding from Nokia and Deutsche Bank via their PalmPilots.

2000: PayPal Mergers

In 2000, PayPal continued to grow through mergers with Elon Musk's X.com and Pixo, expanding into the wireless phone market and enabling money transfers via free online registration and email.

February 2002: PayPal Went Public

On February 15, 2002, PayPal went public.

2002: PayPal sold to eBay

In 2002, PayPal was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion.

May 2003: Incorporated Palantir Technologies

In May 2003, Peter Thiel incorporated Palantir Technologies.

2003: Founded Palantir Technologies

In 2003, Peter Thiel founded Palantir Technologies.

2003: Successful Bet on Weakening US Dollar

In 2003, Peter Thiel successfully bet that the United States dollar would weaken.

August 2004: Became Facebook's First Outside Investor

In August 2004, Peter Thiel became 's first outside investor by acquiring a 10.2% stake in the company for $500,000.

August 2004: Angel Investment in Facebook

In August 2004, after the first meeting with Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel made a $500,000 angel investment in for a 10.2% stake in the company and joined Facebook's board.

2004: First Outside Investor in Facebook

In 2004, Peter Thiel became the first outside investor in .

2004: Warned about Financial Sector Bubble

In 2004, Peter Thiel spoke of the dot-com bubble having migrated into a growing bubble in the financial sector, specifying General Electric and Walmart as vulnerable.

2004: Authored "The Straussian Moment"

In 2004, Peter Thiel wrote the essay "The Straussian Moment", which is considered a fundamental text in his political thinking, arguing for a reexamination of modern politics after the September 11 attacks.

2005: Clarium Capital Saw 57.1% Return

In 2005, Clarium Capital saw a 57.1% return as Peter Thiel predicted that the dollar would rally.

2005: Thiel Creates Founders Fund

In 2005, Peter Thiel established Founders Fund, a venture capital fund located in San Francisco, with partners including Sean Parker, Ken Howery, and Luke Nosek.

September 2006: Donation to Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation

In September 2006, Peter Thiel announced that he would donate $3.5 million to foster anti-aging research through the non-profit Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation. Thiel stated his belief that advances in biological science will lead to dramatically improved health and longevity.

2006: Clarium Falters

In 2006, Clarium faltered with a 7.8% loss.

2006: Support for Singularity Institute

In 2006, Peter Thiel provided $100,000 of matching funds to back the Singularity Challenge donation drive of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

2007: Clarium Capital's Return

In 2007, Clarium Capital achieved a 40.3% return, growing assets under management.

2007: Continued Support for Singularity Institute

In 2007, Peter Thiel provided half of the $400,000 matching funds for the donation drive of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

2007: Helped Time Facebook's Series D

Peter Thiel is credited with helping Mark Zuckerberg time 's 2007 Series D before the 2008 financial crisis.

April 2008: Pledge to Seasteading Institute

On April 15, 2008, Peter Thiel pledged $500,000 to the newly created non-profit Seasteading Institute, whose mission is to establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems.

2008: Thiel begins donating to the Committee to Protect Journalists

Beginning in 2008, Thiel started donating to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

2008: Financial Markets Collapsed

In 2008, Clarium Capital's assets fell due to the collapse of financial markets.

2008: Helped Time Facebook's Series D

Peter Thiel is credited with helping Mark Zuckerberg time 's 2007 Series D before the 2008 financial crisis.

2009: Concern About the Technological Singularity

At the 2009 Singularity Summit, Peter Thiel expressed his greatest concern being the technological singularity not arriving soon enough.

2009: Clarium Capital's Assets Fell

In 2009, Clarium Capital's assets fell again after financial markets collapsed.

September 2010: Creation of Thiel Fellowship

On September 29, 2010, Peter Thiel created the controversial Thiel Fellowship, which annually offers $100,000 over two years to young people under the age of 23 to encourage them to drop out of college and create their own ventures.

2010: Co-founded Valar Ventures

In 2010, Peter Thiel co-founded Valar Ventures.

2010: Support for Meg Whitman's Gubernatorial Bid

In 2010, Peter Thiel supported Republican Meg Whitman in her unsuccessful bid for the governorship of California, contributing the maximum allowable amount of $25,900 to the Whitman campaign.

November 2011: Creation of Breakout Labs

In November 2011, the Thiel Foundation announced the creation of Breakout Labs, a grant-making program to fund innovative research outside academic institutions, corporations, or government. It offers grants of up to $350,000 to science-focused start-ups, "with no strings attached".

2011: Backing Thrive Capital's Second Fund

Also in 2011, Peter Thiel backed the second fund of Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital.

2011: Key Investors Pulled out of Clarium

By 2011, many key investors pulled out of Clarium Capital, reducing the value of its assets to $350 million.

2011: Founded Thiel Capital and Granted New Zealand Citizenship

In 2011, Peter Thiel founded Thiel Capital and was granted New Zealand citizenship, which later became controversial.

2011: Thiel Capital Founded

In 2011, Peter Thiel founded Thiel Capital, a venture capital fund and family office based in Los Angeles, providing strategic support for his ventures.

2011: Donation and Resignation from Seasteading Institute

In 2011, Peter Thiel gave $1.25 million to the Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board the same year.

2011: Donation to Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Fund

In 2011, Peter Thiel made a NZ$1 million donation to an appeal fund for the casualties of the Christchurch earthquake.

2011: Economic contribution to New Zealand

In 2011, Peter Thiel's application for New Zealand citizenship cited his contribution to the economy via founding a venture capital fund in Auckland, investing $7 million in local companies, and donating $1 million to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake appeal fund.

2011: First Investment in Grandmaster Capital Management

In 2011, Thiel made his first investment in a hedge fund managed by an outside manager, Grandmaster Capital Management, founded by Patrick Wolff.

April 2012: First Set of Grantees Announced by Breakout Labs

In April 2012, Breakout Labs announced its first set of grantees, with 12 startups receiving a total of $4.5 million in grants. One of the first ventures to receive funding was 3Scan, a tissue imaging platform.

May 2012: Facebook IPO

In May 2012, had its initial public offering, and Peter Thiel sold 16.8 million shares for $638 million.

June 2012: Thiel Launches Mithril Capital Management

In June 2012, Peter Thiel launched Mithril Capital Management with Jim O'Neill and Ajay Royan, targeting companies beyond the startup stage.

July 2012: Thiel donates to the Club for Growth

In July 2012, Thiel donated $1 million to the Club for Growth, a fiscally conservative organization, becoming their largest contributor.

August 2012: Thiel Sold Remaining Facebook Stake

In August 2012, immediately after the lock-up period, Peter Thiel sold almost all of his remaining stake in for $395.8 million.

2012: Crescendo Equity Established

In 2012, Crescendo Equity, a Seoul-based private equity firm focusing on mid-cap manufacturing and technology companies in Asia, was established with the sponsorship of Peter Thiel.

2012: Co-founded Mithril Capital

In 2012, Peter Thiel co-founded Mithril Capital and was investment committee chair.

2012: Support for Endorse Liberty Super PAC and Mitt Romney

In 2012, Peter Thiel, along with Nosek and Scott Banister, supported the Endorse Liberty Super PAC with a collective donation of $3.9 million to promote Ron Paul. After Paul failed to secure the nomination, Thiel contributed to the Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan presidential ticket in 2012.

2012: Thiel donates to fight Minnesota Amendment 1

In 2012, Thiel donated $10,000 to Minnesotans United for All Families, in order to fight Minnesota Amendment 1, which proposed banning marriage between same-sex couples.

2012: Taught Startup Class at Stanford University

In spring 2012, Peter Thiel taught the class CS 183: Startup at Stanford University.

2012: Founders Fund Begins Buying Bitcoin

Since 2012, Founders Fund had been quietly buying bitcoin, with the investment totaling around $20 million.

2013: Thiel Foundation's Donations to Singularity Institute

As of 2013, the Thiel Foundation had donated over $1 million to the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Thiel has also spoken at multiple Singularity Summits.

September 2014: Publication of "Zero to One"

In September 2014, "Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future" by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters was released. The book is based on notes from Thiel's CS 183: Startup class at Stanford University in 2012.

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

2014: Interest in Anti-Aging Research and Cryonic Preservation

At the Venture Alpha West 2014 conference, Peter Thiel stated his desire to make progress in anti-aging research. Thiel also mentioned that he is registered to be cryonically preserved with the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, hoping to be revived by future medical technology.

2014: Founders Fund Invests in DeepMind

In early 2014, Founders Fund backed DeepMind, a UK start-up, which was subsequently acquired by Google for £400 million.

March 2015: Thiel Joined Y Combinator

In March 2015, Peter Thiel joined Y Combinator as one of 10 part-time partners.

December 2015: Financial Backer of OpenAI

In December 2015, Peter Thiel was announced as one of the financial backers of OpenAI, a nonprofit company focused on the safe development of artificial general intelligence.

2015: Part-time Partner at Y Combinator

From 2015 to 2017, Peter Thiel was a part-time partner at Y Combinator.

2015: Epstein Invested in Valar

In 2015 and 2016, Jeffrey Epstein invested a total of $40 million in Valar.

2015: 1517 Fund Founded with Thiel's Backing

In 2015, the 1517 Fund was founded by Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson, aiming to extend support granted by the Thiel Fellowship, with backing from Peter Thiel.

2015: Founders Fund Invests in Privateer Holdings

In 2015, the Founders Fund became the first institutional investor in the cannabis industry by investing in the Seattle-based private equity fund Privateer Holdings.

August 2016: Thiel Defended Online Privacy

On August 15, 2016, Peter Thiel published an opinion piece in The New York Times in which he defended online privacy and highlighted his support for the Intimate Privacy Protection Act.

October 2016: Support for Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign

In October 2016, Peter Thiel announced a $1.25 million donation in support of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. He had previously supported Carly Fiorina's campaign but switched to Trump after Fiorina dropped out. He was a headline speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention where he proudly declared he was gay, Republican, and American.

2016: Founding of Breakout Ventures

In 2016, Breakout Ventures, a venture capital firm, was founded out of Breakout Labs to invest in science. It invests in early-stage companies focused on human health and sustainability.

2016: Epstein Pitched Reporty to Valar

In 2016, Jeffrey Epstein pitched Reporty (later Carbyne) to Valar, but the proposal was rejected.

2016: Sold Under 1 Million Facebook Shares

In 2016, Peter Thiel sold a little under 1 million of his shares for around $100 million.

2016: Expressed Interest in Parabiosis

In a 2016 Inc. interview, Peter Thiel expressed interest in the science of parabiosis, including young blood transfusion for potential health benefits, noting that the technology had been found to work on mice before being strangely dropped after the 1950s.

February 2017: Thiel's Donations to Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation

As of February 2017, Peter Thiel had donated over $7 million to the Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation to foster anti-aging research.

November 2017: Sold Facebook Shares

In November 2017, Peter Thiel sold another 160,805 shares of for $29 million.

November 2017: Y Combinator Severed Ties with Thiel

In November 2017, it was reported that Y Combinator had severed its ties with Peter Thiel.

2017: Part-time Partner at Y Combinator

From 2015 to 2017, Peter Thiel was a part-time partner at Y Combinator.

2017: Anduril Founded

In 2017, Anduril was founded by Palmer Luckey, Joe Chen, Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm and Brian Schimpf, with backing from Founders Fund since its inception.

2017: Crescendo Equity Partners Invests in HPSP

In 2017, Crescendo Equity Partners invested in Korea's HPSP, transforming it into a global player in the semiconductor equipment sector.

2017: Gavin Newsom's Remarks on Thiel's Political Alignment

In 2017, Gavin Newsom, then lieutenant governor of California, acknowledged that Peter Thiel cared about criminal justice reform and marriage equality. However, Newsom noted that there was unease about Thiel's alignment with President Donald Trump.

2017: Thiel Invests in Clearview AI

In 2017, Peter Thiel was among the first outside investors in Clearview AI, a facial recognition technology startup, raising ethical concerns within the tech world and media.

2017: Thiel as Limited Partner at Social Capital

In 2017, a Globe and Mail article named Peter Thiel as a limited partner at Social Capital.

2017: Reports on Contact with Ambrosia Startup

In 2017, it was reported that Thiel Capital's medical director Jason Camm had contacted the transfusion startup Ambrosia, however Ambrosia's founder Jesse Karmazin told TechCrunch that they had never been contacted by Peter Thiel or Thiel Capital.

2017: Thiel's Views on Seasteading Feasibility

In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, Peter Thiel said seasteads are "not quite feasible from an engineering perspective" and "still very far in the future".

2018: Founders Fund Invested in Carbyne

In 2018, the Founders Fund invested in the Israeli company Carbyne, which provides emergency services.

2018: Founders Fund Joined Carbyne's Series B

In 2018, the Founders Fund joined Carbyne's $15 million Series B funding round.

2019: Growth of Thiel's Roth IRA

By 2019, ProPublica reported that Thiel's $1,700 PayPal investment and later investments in Palantir and through a Roth IRA had grown tax-free to over $5 billion.

2019: Interview about "The Straussian Moment" at Hoover Institution

In 2019, Peter Thiel's 2004 essay "The Straussian Moment" was the subject of an interview at the Hoover Institution.

2019: Thiel Backed 1Confirmation

In 2019, Thiel, along with Mark Cuban and Marc Andreessen, backed the San Francisco-based crypto investment fund 1Confirmation.

April 2020: Owned Less Than 10,000 Facebook Shares

As of April 2020, Peter Thiel owned less than 10,000 shares in .

2020: Thiel Invested in Funds Managed by 8VC and Disruptive Technology Advisers

According to a 2020 Bloomberg article, Peter Thiel was an investor in funds managed by 8VC and in the bank Disruptive Technology Advisers.

2020: Thiel on AbCellera's Board

From 2020, Peter Thiel served on AbCellera's board.

2020: Thiel Becomes Strategic Partner of Elevat3

In 2020, Peter Thiel became a strategic partner and anchor investor of Elevat3, set up by Christian Angermayer's Apeiron Investment Group.

2020: Free Forever PAC's Activity in the 2020 Election

In 2020, Peter Thiel's political-action committee, Free Forever, was active during the election cycle, supporting political candidates who support stricter border control, restrictive immigration policy, funds for veterans, and anti-interventionist foreign policy. The PAC primarily supported Kris Kobach's failed U.S. Senate bid, with Thiel himself contributing almost all of the funds.

2020: Thiel Capital Invests in Several Companies

In 2020, Thiel Capital invested in Alloy Therapeutics and EnClear Therapies and the German unicorn ATAI Life Sciences, where Jason Camm became a board member, and Compass Pathways.

2021: Danzeisen's Role at Bridgetown

By 2021, Matt Danzeisen was chairman of Bridgetown 1 and Bridgetown 2, sponsored by Thiel Capital and Richard Li's Pacific Century Group. Sam Altman also sat on the board.

2021: Thiel Backed A-Star Partners

In 2021, Peter Thiel backed the first fund of A-Star Partners, founded by Kevin Hartz.

2021: Thiel Joins SNÖ Ventures

In 2021, Peter Thiel joined SNÖ Ventures as an investor and strategic partner.

2021: Movensys Name Change After Crescendo's Investment

In 2021, Soft Servo Group or Soft Motions & Robotics changed its name to Movensys after Crescendo's investment.

February 2022: Thiel as a Major Donor to Republican Candidates

By February 2022, Peter Thiel was a prominent donor to Republican candidates in the 2022 election campaign, having spent $32 million by November 2022. He supported 16 senatorial and congressional candidates, including Blake Masters and JD Vance, both tech investors who had previously worked for Thiel.

February 2022: Thiel Leaves Meta Board

In February 2022, Peter Thiel announced his departure from Meta's board after 17 years to support pro-Donald Trump candidates in the 2022 United States elections.

March 2022: Founders Fund Sells Crypto Holdings

In March 2022, Founders Fund sold the majority of its crypto holdings for $1.8 billion, with bitcoin making up two-thirds of its holdings, just before a market crash.

November 2022: Thiel's Spending on 2022 Election Campaign

By November 2022 Peter Thiel had spent $32 million supporting 16 senatorial and congressional candidates. Two of the senatorial candidates Thiel supported, Blake Masters and J.D. Vance, were tech investors that previously worked for Thiel.

2022: Chairman of Palantir

As of 2022, Peter Thiel continues as the chairman of Palantir Technologies.

2022: Apeiron Group Acquires Shares in NAGA Group

In 2022, Apeiron Group, through Elevat3 and in partnership with Founders Fund, acquired shares from Fosun International and others to become a shareholder in the NAGA Group.

2022: Thiel Backed Wischoff Ventures

In 2022, Peter Thiel backed B2B-focused Wischoff Ventures founded by Nichole Wischoff.

2022: Thiel Backs Tacora Venture Debt Firm

In 2022, Peter Thiel became a major backer of the venture debt firm Tacora, founded by Keri Findley, investing US$250 million in its inaugural fund.

2022: Creation of 1789 Capital

In 2022, Reuters noted that Peter Thiel was instrumental in the creation of 1789 Capital, co-founded by Omeed Malik and Chris Buskirk.

2023: Fund Founded by Jason Camm

In 2023, Jason Camm, the Chief Medical Officer of Thiel Capital, founded a fund with a US$100 million investment from a single investor, with Thiel's name associated with the fund.

2023: Thiel's Disinterest in Democracy and Trump

In 2023, The Atlantic reported that Peter Thiel had lost interest in democracy and would not donate to any politician, including Donald Trump, in the next presidential campaign. Thiel stated that the first Trump administration failed to meet his expectations and that he disagreed with the Republican party's focus on cultural issues.

November 2024: 1517 Fund Backs Venus Aerospace

Since November 2024, the 1517 Fund backs Venus Aerospace, a company developing hypersonic flight technology.

December 2024: Palantir and Anduril Form Defense Consortium

In December 2024, Palantir and Anduril reportedly formed a consortium of new generation defense companies, including SpaceX, OpenAI, and Scale AI, to challenge traditional defense companies.

December 2024: 1517 Fund Gets Approval for Funding

In December 2024, the 1517 Fund received approval to get funding from the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology Initiative (SBICCT).

2024: Founders Fund Leads Seed Round for SentientAGI

In 2024, Founders Fund led a US$85 million seed round for SentientAGI, a decentralized, open-source AI platform based in the UAE, and also invested in Impulse Space, Ramp, and Crusoe.

2024: Founders Fund Incubates Valinor Enterprises

In 2024, Founders Fund, along with General Catalyst and Red Cell Partners, incubated the defense incubator Valinor Enterprises, co-founded by Julie Bush, Trae Stephens, Paul Kwan and Grant Verstandig.

2024: Thiel Leads Funding for Enhanced Games

In 2024, Peter Thiel became the lead funder of the Enhanced Games, a proposed multi-sport event allowing athletes to use performance-enhancing substances.

2024: Thiel Describes Trump as a Clown

In 2024, Peter Thiel described Donald Trump as a clown, whose image was turned into that of a martyr because of Reid Hoffman's lawsuit.

2024: SNÖ Ventures Invests in Nordic Air Defence

In 2024, SNÖ Ventures made its first investment in the defense tech sector, funding Nordic Air Defence.

April 2025: General Matter Emerges from Stealth

In April 2025, General Matter, focusing on "production and handling of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU)", emerged from stealth with Scott Nolan as CEO and Thiel on the board.

May 2025: Quantum-Systems Becomes Dual-Use Unicorn

In May 2025, Quantum-Systems, in which Thiel Capital has an investment, became Europe's first dual-use unicorn.

June 2025: Founders Fund Invests in Anduril

In June 2025, Founders Fund invested $1 billion in Anduril as part of a $2.5 billion Series G funding round, marking the largest investment in the fund's history.

July 2025: 1517 Fund Raises US$315 Million

In July 2025, 1517 Fund reportedly raised US$315 million for its first fund.

October 2025: Reports Confirm Thiel's Investment in Peptilogics and HistoSonics

Reports in October 2025 confirmed Thiel's fund's investments in Peptilogics, an infection therapeutics company, and HistoSonics, a cancer treatment startup.

December 2025: Thiel donates to oppose wealth tax

In December 2025, Thiel donated $3 million to the California Business Roundtable to oppose a proposed 5% wealth tax on billionaires in California.

2025: Glavin's Remarks on Thiel's Political Donations

In 2025, Brendan Glavin, director of insights for OpenSecrets, remarked that Peter Thiel's political donations have "an ideological agenda that's not strictly motivated by financial or business concerns" and that his views are generally libertarian, leading him to elect like-minded individuals.

2025: Crescendo Initiates Sale of Equity Stake in Semiconductor Firm

In 2025, Crescendo initiated the sale of its 40.9% controlling equity stake in a semiconductor firm, often dubbed Korea's ASML, attracting bids from major global PEF firms.

2025: Founders Fund Invests in Several Startups

In 2025, Founders Fund invested in Erebor, EnduroSat, Varda and Hadrian Automation.

2025: Thiel on Trump and Populists as Disruptive Factors

In 2025, Peter Thiel indicated that Donald Trump and populists were a disruptive factor that would prepare the stage for the process of true rebuilding. He stated that disruption did not equal progress and that attempting to have a conversation with Trump about it proved "a preposterous fantasy." However, he was satisfied that deregulation, such as regarding nuclear energy, was happening in the second Trump term.

2025: Thiel Fellowship increased the award amount

In 2025, the Thiel Fellowship increased the award amount to $200,000 for 20 people under the age of 23 to drop out of college and create their own ventures.