Early Life and Education of Peter Thiel: A Complete Timeline

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 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.

Sections (4)

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

October 1967: Peter Thiel Born

In October 1967, Peter Andreas Thiel was born in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, then part of West Germany.

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1971: Moved to South Africa

In 1971, Peter Thiel's family moved to South Africa.

1977: Moved back to the US

In 1977, Peter Thiel's family moved back to the US.

1977: Settled in Foster City, California

In 1977, the Thiel family settled in Foster City, California, after living in South Africa and South West Africa.

1985: Graduated as Valedictorian

In 1985, Peter Thiel was valedictorian of his graduating class at San Mateo High School.

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: Graduated from Stanford Law School

In 1992, Peter Thiel graduated from Stanford Law School with a Juris Doctor degree.

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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1996: Returned to California

Peter Thiel returned to California in 1996.

2003: Stopped Competing in Chess

In 2003, Peter Thiel stopped competing in chess because he felt it created an alternate reality that made him lose sight of the real world.

December 2007: Thiel endorsed Ron Paul for President

In December 2007, Thiel endorsed Ron Paul for President in the 2008 United States presidential election.

2007: Gawker Published Article Outing Thiel

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

2008: Thiel contributes to John McCain campaign

After Ron Paul failed to secure the Republican nomination, Thiel contributed to the John McCain campaign in 2008.

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.

2010: Ann Coulter speaks at Homocon 2010

In 2010, Thiel invited Ann Coulter as a guest speaker to Homocon 2010.

August 2011: New Zealand Citizenship

In August 2011, Peter Thiel received New Zealand citizenship in a private ceremony in Santa Monica, California.

2011: Coulter dedicates "Demonic" to Thiel

In 2011, Ann Coulter dedicated her book, "Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America", to Thiel.

Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America

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2011: Heterodox Religious Beliefs

In 2011, Peter Thiel described his religious beliefs as "somewhat heterodox," stating that he believes Christianity is true but does not feel a need to convince others. He views Christianity as an anti-identity, with one's identity being in Christ, which helps in understanding the world and truth.

2011: Thiel speaks at Oslo Freedom Forum

In 2011, Thiel was a speaker at the Oslo Freedom Forum, with the Thiel Foundation being one of the main sponsors.

2012: Taught Startup Class at Stanford University

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

2013: Thiel stopped attending World Economic Forum

Since 2013, Thiel has not attended the World Economic Forum because he considers it a place without individuals and only representatives of companies, governments and NGOs.

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

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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.

2015: Purchase of Estate in Wānaka

In 2015, Peter Thiel purchased a 193-hectare (477-acre) estate near Wānaka, New Zealand. As a citizen, he didn't need permission from the Overseas Investment Office.

2015: Thiel discusses innovation with Tyler Cowen

In 2015, during a conversation with Tyler Cowen, Thiel stated that innovation was concentrated in computing/IT and that there was a lack of progress in areas such as space travel, high-speed transit, and medical devices. He attributed this to the disparity in regulation between "bits" and "atoms."

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.

November 2016: Ceremonial First Move at World Chess Championship

On 30 November 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.

October 2017: Marriage to Matt Danzeisen

In October 2017, Peter Thiel married his long-time partner, Matt Danzeisen, in Vienna, Austria, on Thiel's 50th birthday. He was reported to have proposed to Danzeisen at the time.

2017: Citizenship status made public

In 2017, Peter Thiel's New Zealand citizenship status, acquired in August 2011, became public.

2017: Thiel declines position in Trump's administration

In 2017, Thiel reportedly refused the offer to become chairman of the president's intelligence advisory board and considered becoming U.S. Ambassador to Germany or a bid for governorship of California.

2018: Move to Los Angeles

In 2018, Peter Thiel moved from San Francisco, California, to Los Angeles, citing that San Francisco was "intolerant of conservatives, insular and overpriced". Thiel Capital and Thiel Foundation followed him to Los Angeles.

2021: Thiel became an FBI informant

In 2021, Thiel became an FBI informant.

2021: Thiel publishes article in Die Welt

In 2021, Thiel wrote an article for Die Welt, in which he claimed that Germany's history led it to fear extremism in politics and technology. He criticized "green quietism" and argued that new ideas are needed for growth.

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.

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: Legal Struggles for Próspera Project in Honduras

In 2022, the Próspera project in Honduras, backed by Thiel's Pronomos Capital, faced legal struggles when the new Honduran government changed the laws.

2023: Business Insider reports Thiel became an FBI informant

In 2023, Business Insider reported that Thiel became an FBI informant in 2021. According to a former FBI agent, Thiel cooperated with the FBI to identify a foreign espionage network.

June 2024: Thiel and Danzeisen have two daughters.

As of June 2024, Peter Thiel and Matt Danzeisen have two young daughters, aged five and three, born through a surrogate.

2024: Palantir becomes strategic partner of Israel in military technology

In 2024, Palantir became a strategic partner of Israel in military technology in an occasion both Thiel and Karp visited the country. In an interview with Bari Weiss, Thiel advocated cooperation with Israel to deter Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

2024: Thiel explains why he avoids a career in politics

In 2024, Thiel said that he had gotten used to tech and a full-time job as a politician would lead to depression.

2024: Thiel Visited Argentina

In 2024, Thiel visited president of Argentina Javier Milei three times.

August 2025: Thiel reported to have four children.

In August 2025, Adrian Wooldridge from Bloomberg reported that Peter Thiel had four children.

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".

December 2025: Thiel's Net Worth

As of December 2025, Peter Thiel's estimated net worth was US$27.5 billion, ranking him among the world's 100 wealthiest individuals.

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: Ijoma Mangold describes Thiel's theories

In 2025, Ijoma Mangold wrote an article describing Thiel's theories as seemingly obscure but often displaying accurate intuition, noting that both the man and his ideas fascinate, repel, and outrage.

2025: Thiel calls for reset in economic relations with China

In 2025, Thiel called for a drastic reset in economic relations with China, stressing that economic relations should be viewed from a geopolitical standpoint. He also discussed the conflicting messages about China's strength, which he believes lead to political inaction.

2025: Thiel compares Reagan to Obama

In the 2025 Douthat interview, Thiel stated that "Reagan was consumer capitalism, which is oxymoronic. You don't save money as a capitalist; you borrow money. And Obama was low-tax socialism – just as oxymoronic as the consumerist capitalism of Reagan."