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 conservative political activist. He co-founded PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund. He was also Facebook's first outside investor. As of late 2025, his net worth was estimated at $27.5 billion, making him one of the world's wealthiest individuals.

Sections (4)

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

1920: Thiel on Welfare and Women's Suffrage

In The Straussian Moment, Thiel noted that since 1920, the increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women have rendered the notion of capitalist democracy into an oxymoron.

1995: The Diversity Myth published

In 1995, the Independent Institute published "The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and the Politics of Intolerance at Stanford", which Peter Thiel co-authored with 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 Article Outing Thiel

In 2007, Gawker published an article publicly outing Peter Thiel with the headline "Peter Thiel is totally gay, people."

2009: Thiel Funds O'Keefe's Video

In 2009, Thiel helped fund James O'Keefe's "Taxpayers Clearing House" video, a satirical look at the Wall Street bailout, but denied involvement in the ACORN sting videos.

August 2011: Thiel receives New Zealand citizenship

In August 2011, Peter Thiel received New Zealand citizenship in a private ceremony in Santa Monica, California, after visiting the country for a total of 12 days. The normal residency requirement was waived under an "exceptional circumstances" clause.

2014: Initial Meetings with Epstein

Between 2014 and 2016, Peter Thiel had scheduled meetings with Jeffrey Epstein.

May 2016: Thiel Finances 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 case.

August 2016: Gawker Closes Due to Lawsuit

In August 2016, Gawker announced it was permanently closing due to the lawsuit financed by Peter Thiel, with Terry Bollea being awarded $140 million.

August 2016: Thiel's Opinion Piece in The New York Times

On August 15, 2016, Peter Thiel published an opinion piece in The New York Times arguing that his defense of online privacy went beyond Gawker and highlighted his support for the Intimate Privacy Protection Act.

2016: Continued Meetings with Epstein

Between 2014 and 2016, Peter Thiel had scheduled meetings with Jeffrey Epstein.

2016: Thiel apologizes for statements in The Diversity Myth

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

2016: Funded Bollea in Bollea v. Gawker

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

2017: New Zealand citizenship became controversial

In 2017, Peter Thiel's New Zealand citizenship became controversial when it was made public.

2017: Thiel Invests in Clearview AI

In 2017, Thiel became one of the first outside investors in Clearview AI, a facial recognition technology startup known for its risks of weaponization.

2018: Epstein Invites Thiel to Private Island

In 2018, Jeffrey Epstein invited Peter Thiel to his private island, but a spokesperson for Thiel stated he never visited it.

2019: Thiel Calls Google "Treasonous"

In 2019, Thiel called Google "seemingly treasonous" and urged a government investigation into Google's work with China, questioning potential foreign intelligence infiltration of DeepMind or Google's senior management.

2021: Thiel Became FBI Informant

In 2021, Thiel became an FBI informant, cooperating to identify a foreign espionage network.

2023: Report of Thiel as FBI Informant

In 2023, Business Insider reported that Thiel became an FBI informant in 2021, cooperating to identify a foreign espionage network. It was also noted that politicians sponsored by Thiel had attacked the FBI and its leadership in public.

2023: Scheduled Meetings Between Thiel and Epstein

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

2024: Thiel Founds 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.

May 2025: Quantum-Systems Becomes Europe's First Dual-Use Unicorn

In May 2025, Quantum-Systems, a Gilching-based drone startup backed by Thiel Capital, became Europe's first dual-use unicorn and third defense unicorn.

July 2025: Criticism of Government Favoring Anduril

In July 2025, a provision in the Trump administration's budget bill requiring border surveillance towers to be "tested and accepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to deliver autonomous capabilities" was criticized by Edith Olmsted for favoring Peter Thiel's business, Anduril.

September 2025: Thiel gives off-the-record lectures on Antichrist, Armageddon and Apocalypse

In September 2025, Peter Thiel gave a series of off-the-record private lectures organized by the Acts 17 Collective in San Francisco, about the Antichrist, Armageddon and Apocalypse. These lectures drew protesters and covered Thiel's views on various apocalyptic threats, including a total one-world government as closer to the Antichrist.

2025: Rivada Space Networks Expands Globally, Despite Unlaunched Satellites

By 2025, Rivada Space Networks has expanded to 33 countries and collected $16 billion in investments, despite having not launched its satellites, with deployment set to begin in 2027 and initial tests in 2026.

2025: Snopes Criticizes Claim About Epstein and Thiel

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

2025: Praxis Project Cited as Threat in Palantir Integration

In 2025, when the Danish government was integrating Palantir, the Praxis project (backed by Thiel through Pronomos) was cited by opponents as a threat to Greenland.

2026: Valar Ventures accepted $40 million from Epstein

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