An overview of the childhood and early education of Peter Thiel, highlighting the experiences that shaped the journey.
Peter Thiel is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist. Best known as a co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund, he also made an early, pivotal investment in Facebook. Thiel's significant net worth places him among the world's wealthiest individuals. His influence extends beyond business; he's considered a key intellectual figure in shaping Silicon Valley's modern culture and philosophy, especially related to technological innovation and libertarian politics.
In October 1967, Peter Andreas Thiel was born in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, then part of West Germany.
Peter Andreas Thiel was born on October 1967.
In 1971, Thiel's family moved to South Africa and then South West Africa.
In 1977, Thiel's family moved back to the United States.
In 1977, the Thiel family settled in Foster City, California, after living in South Africa and South West Africa during apartheid.
In 1985, Peter Thiel was the valedictorian of his graduating class at San Mateo High School.
In 1987, Peter Thiel co-founded The Stanford Review, a conservative and libertarian newspaper.
In 1989, Peter Thiel graduated from Stanford University.
In 1992, Peter Thiel graduated from Stanford Law School with a Juris Doctor degree.
In 2003, Peter Thiel, who holds the title of Life Master, last competed in chess.
In 2007, Gawker published an article publicly outing Peter Thiel, headlined "Peter Thiel is totally gay, people."
On 29 September 2010, Peter Thiel created the Thiel Fellowship, offering $100,000 over two years to young people to drop out of college and start their own ventures.
In August 2011, Peter Thiel received New Zealand citizenship in a private ceremony at the New Zealand consulate in Santa Monica, California. Then-Minister of Internal Affairs Nathan Guy waived normal residency requirements under an "exceptional circumstances" clause of the Citizenship Act.
As of 2011, Peter Thiel described his religious beliefs as "somewhat heterodox", affirming his belief in Christianity but not feeling the need to convince others.
In 2011, Peter Thiel was granted New Zealand citizenship, which later became controversial.
In 2011, Peter Thiel's New Zealand citizenship application cited his contribution to the economy through a venture capital fund in Auckland, investments in local companies, and a donation to the Christchurch earthquake appeal fund. Xero founder Rod Drury provided a formal reference.
In spring 2012, Peter Thiel taught the class CS 183: Startup at Stanford University. Notes from the course, taken by student Blake Masters, would become the basis for the book Zero to One.
At the Venture Alpha West 2014 conference, Peter Thiel expressed his desire to make progress in anti-aging research and revealed that he is registered for cryonic preservation with Alcor Life Extension Foundation.
In 2015, Peter Thiel purchased a 193-hectare estate near Wānaka, New Zealand. As a citizen, he did not require permission from New Zealand's Overseas Investment Office.
In 2015, the 1517 Fund was founded by Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson, both from the Thiel Fellowship founding team. Peter Thiel backs the fund, which provides cash grants and investments to "dropouts, renegade students, and deep tech scientists".
In May 2016, Peter Thiel confirmed in an interview with The New York Times that he had paid $10 million in legal expenses to finance Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media.
In August 2016, Gawker announced it was permanently closing due to the lawsuit funded by Peter Thiel.
On November 30, 2016, Peter Thiel made the ceremonial first move in the first tiebreak game of the World Chess Championship 2016 between Sergey Karjakin and Magnus Carlsen.
In 2016, Peter Thiel apologized for insensitive statements he made in the book "The Diversity Myth" regarding the rape crisis movement and multicultural rape charges, stating that he wished he'd never written those things and that rape in all forms is a crime.
In a 2016 interview, Peter Thiel expressed interest in the science of parabiosis, including young blood transfusion, for potential health benefits.
In 2017, Peter Thiel's New Zealand citizenship status, obtained in August 2011, was made public.
In 2018, Peter Thiel moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles, citing intolerance of conservatives, insularity, and high prices in San Francisco.
In 2021, ProPublica revealed that Peter Thiel had purchased 1.7 million founder's shares in PayPal using $1,700 in a Roth IRA in 1999. The investment grew to over $5 billion by 2019.
In 2022, Peter Thiel endorsed Blake Masters' campaign in the 2022 United States Senate election in Arizona, donating more than $10 million.
In 2022, after Thiel hired former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz for Thiel Capital, Jan Böhmermann of the ZDF wrote and performed the satirical song "Right time to Thiel" that portrayed Thiel as a James Bond villain.
In March 2023, Jeff Thomas, Peter Thiel's partner from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, passed away suddenly.
As of June 2024, Peter Thiel and Matt Danzeisen have two young daughters, aged five and three, born through a surrogate.
In August 2025, it was reported that Peter Thiel has four children.
In September 2025, Peter Thiel gave talks on the Antichrist, Armageddon, and Apocalypse as part of a series of off-the-record private lectures organized by David Wood's Acts 17 Collective in San Francisco, which drew a group of protesters. He discussed his views on various apocalyptic threats and the concept of the Katechon as a restrainer of the Antichrist.
As of 2025, the Thiel Fellowship provides $200,000 to young people over two years to drop out of college and start their own ventures.
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