Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Peter Thiel

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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 known for co-founding PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund. He was also the first outside investor in . As of May 2025, his net worth is estimated at $20.8 billion, ranking him among the wealthiest people globally. Thiel's influence spans technology, finance, and politics, making him a notable figure in contemporary society.

2007: Gawker Publishes Article Outing Thiel

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

2011: Granted New Zealand Citizenship

In 2011, Peter Thiel was controversially granted New Zealand citizenship after the Fifth National Government intervened on his behalf, despite only spending 12 non-consecutive days in the country.

May 2016: Thiel Confirms Funding of Lawsuits Against Gawker

In May 2016, Peter Thiel confirmed that he had paid $10 million in legal expenses to finance lawsuits, including one by Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan) against Gawker Media.

August 2016: Gawker Closes Due to Lawsuit

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

2016: Funded Hulk Hogan Lawsuit

In 2016, Thiel confirmed that he had funded Hulk Hogan in the Bollea v. Gawker lawsuit after Gawker had previously outed Thiel as gay. The lawsuit eventually bankrupted Gawker, and led to founder Nick Denton's bankruptcy.

2017: Thiel Invests in Clearview AI

In 2017, Peter Thiel was one of the first outside investors in Clearview AI, a facial recognition technology startup known for raising concerns about weaponization risks.

2018: PLA Chinese investors invested in Kleo-Connect startup

Since 2018, the startup Kleo-Connect received investments from investors associated with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).

2019: Thiel Calls Google 'Treasonous'

In 2019, Peter Thiel called Google "seemingly treasonous" and urged a government investigation into Google's work with China.

2020: Support for candidates with Voter Fraud Claims

By February 2022, Thiel supported candidates that had promoted the falsehood that there was significant voter fraud in the 2020 election, as part of his Republican campaign contributions.

2021: Reported as FBI informant

In 2021, Business Insider reported that Thiel became an FBI informant.

2022: Burgis characterizes the blood transfusion story as a deliberate attempt by Thiel to portray himself as an "evil genius"

In 2022, Ben Burgis characterizes the blood transfusion story as part of a deliberate attempt by Thiel to portray himself as an "evil genius".

2022: Formation of Rivada Space Networks

In 2022, Rivada Space Networks was formed, drawing personnel mainly from Kleo-Connect, after the German government banned the sale of Kleo-Connect to China. Karl Rove participated as an investor and lobbyist.

2023: Lost interest in democracy and Republicans focus on cultural issues

In 2023, Barton Gellman of The Atlantic wrote that Thiel "has lost interest in democracy" and won’t donate to any politician in the next presidential campaign. According to Reuters, this occurred after he disagreed with the Republican party's focus on cultural issues. In the same Atlantic interview, he stated that the first Trump administration failed even his initial low expectations.

2024: Described Trump as a clown

In 2024, Thiel described Trump as a clown whom Reid Hoffman's lawsuit turned into a martyr.