Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Peter Thiel

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Peter Thiel.

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 Facebook. As of late 2025, his net worth was estimated at $27.5 billion, placing him among the world's wealthiest individuals.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1920: Thiel notes an increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women

In 1920, in The Straussian Moment, Thiel noted that, "Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women – two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians – have rendered the notion of 'capitalist democracy' into an oxymoron." This statement later caused controversies.

1995: Publication of 'The Diversity Myth'

In 1995, the Independent Institute published "The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and the Politics of Intolerance at Stanford", co-authored by Peter Thiel and David O. Sacks. The book criticizes political correctness and multiculturalism in higher education.

The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and the Politics of Intolerance at Stanford

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2007: Gawker Published Article Outing Thiel

In 2007, Gawker published an article that publicly outed Peter Thiel, headlined "Peter Thiel is totally gay, people."

2009: Thiel's essay marked a watershed moment

In 2009, Nick Land cited Thiel's essay "The Education of a Libertarian" and his statement that "I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible" as a key moment in the development of the Dark Enlightenment movement. Others argued the quote is misread as anti-democratic and that his real concern is that mass democracy could erode the freedoms essential for innovation.

2009: The Guardian reports Thiel was a member of "TheVanguard.org"

In 2009, The Guardian reported that Thiel was a member of the neoconservative group "TheVanguard.org" and stated that Thiel believes the Enlightenment led humanity from nature's rule to a world where nature has been conquered. The article noted Thiel's philosophy disregarded art, beauty, love, pleasure, and truth.

2009: Thiel helps fund James O'Keefe's video

In 2009, Thiel reportedly helped fund James O'Keefe's "Taxpayers Clearing House" video, which satirized the Wall Street bailout. Thiel denied involvement in the ACORN sting videos that O'Keefe later produced.

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.

May 2016: Thiel Confirmed Funding Lawsuits Against Gawker

In May 2016, Peter Thiel confirmed that he had paid $10 million in legal expenses to finance lawsuits against Gawker Media, including the Hulk Hogan lawsuit.

August 2016: Gawker Announced Closing Due to Lawsuit

In August 2016, Gawker announced it was permanently closing due to the lawsuit funded by Peter Thiel.

2016: Apology for statements in 'The Diversity Myth'

In 2016, Peter Thiel apologized for two statements he made in his book "The Diversity Myth", involving the rape crisis movement and date rape.

2016: Funded Bollea v. Gawker Lawsuit

In 2016, Peter Thiel confirmed that he had funded Bollea (Hulk Hogan) in the Bollea v. Gawker lawsuit, which resulted in Gawker losing the case. Gawker had previously outed Thiel as gay.

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.

2019: Thiel calls Google "seemingly treasonous"

In 2019, Thiel publicly criticized Google, calling the company "seemingly treasonous." He urged a government investigation, citing Google's work with China and questioning potential foreign intelligence infiltration of DeepMind or Google's senior management.

2022: Satirical song about Thiel

In 2022, Jan Böhmermann of the ZDF wrote and performed the satirical song "Right time to Thiel" that portrayed Thiel as a James Bond villain, after Thiel hired former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz for Thiel Capital.

2022: Burgis' Characterization of Thiel's Blood Transfusion Story

In a 2022 Jacobin article, Ben Burgis characterized Peter Thiel's blood transfusion story as part of a deliberate attempt to portray himself as an "evil genius".

March 2023: Death of Jeff Thomas

In March 2023, Jeff Thomas, Peter Thiel's former long-term partner, died by suicide. Media coverage of Thomas's death drew attention due to Thomas's involvement with Democratic researchers. It revealed the increasing tendency towards using people's private problems to achieve political goals.

2023: Scheduled Meetings Between Thiel and Epstein Revealed

In 2023, documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal revealed scheduled meetings between Peter Thiel and Jeffrey Epstein between 2014 and 2016.

July 2025: Criticism Arises over Government Favoritism towards Anduril

In July 2025, Edith Olmsted of The New Republic criticized the Trump administration's budget bill, alleging government favoritism towards Peter Thiel's Anduril regarding border surveillance towers.

September 2025: Talks on the Antichrist, Armageddon and Apocalypse

In September 2025, Peter Thiel gave a series of off-the-record private lectures in San Francisco organized by David Wood's Acts 17 Collective, discussing the Antichrist, Armageddon, and Apocalypse. He identified threats like environmental degradation, nuclear wars, and bioweapons, and suggested that a one-world government is close to the Antichrist. Thiel also referred to Greta Thunberg and Eliezer Yudkowsky as "legionnaires of the Antichrist".

2025: Artyom Lukin describes Thiel as "the most anti-China figure in the US top elite"

In 2025, Artyom Lukin described Thiel as "the éminence grise of Trump's own deep state" and "the most anti-China figure in the US top elite", arguing that he and his allies are pushing American geostrategy towards focusing on China as the main threat. Lukin noted that Thiel sees Russia as a lesser threat and does not want to push it towards Beijing's arms.

2025: Nick Denton admits Thiel was right

In 2025, Nick Denton, who had previously accused Thiel of harming Gawker, admitted that Thiel was right and did him a favor by forcing the sale of Gawker Media.

2025: Snopes Criticized Claim About Epstein and Thiel

In 2025, Snopes criticized a claim on the internet that Jeffrey Epstein offered girls to Peter Thiel and others as misleading.

2025: Praxis Project Threat to Greenland

In 2025, opponents of the Danish government's integration of Palantir into its military, police, and intelligence services argued that the Praxis project, backed by Thiel, was a threat to Greenland.

2026: Emails Related to Jeffrey Epstein Released

In 2026, emails related to Jeffrey Epstein revealed that Valar Ventures accepted $40 million from Epstein and that Peter Thiel corresponded with Epstein for five years before Epstein's death, including on the topic of Brexit.