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om Silin Valley</span></a></div></div></div><h1 data-ttid="ContentHearHed" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearHed-NCyCC iUEiRd NbxED hpJvIc">What Is It About Peter Thiel?</h1></div><div class="ContentHearAccredatn-lfctVB etVsnJ ntent-hearaccredatn" data-ttid="ContentHearAccredatn"><div class="ContentHearDek-bIqFFZ Mtme">The billnaire venture palist has fans and followers. What are they lookg for?</div><div class="ContentHearByle-kmPyCa gvUmxJ"><div class="ContentHearByleContent-dpPmNn DRFq"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl ContentHearByl-cZqgyJ bHLeKI"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH bwbwth byle bylbyle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn lOLCm bylename"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG uhfVi bylepreamble">By </span><a class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM ByleLk-gEnFiw iUEiRd ggMZaT cXqSTL brYZgj bylename-lk button" href="/ntributors/anna-wiener">Anna Wiener</a></span></span></p></div><time data-ttid="ContentHearPublishDate" dateTime="2021-10-27T10:09:43-04:00" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearPublishDate-eIBicG iUEiRd kYZrFA dAWEsn">October 27, 2021</time></div></div></div></div><div class="ContentHearLeadAsset-hGbumP kByCgj lead-asset ContentHearLeadAssetWrapper-hfXHEc gvsamZ lead-asset--width-fullbleed" data-ttid="ContentHearLeadAsset"><figure class="ContentHearLeadAssetContent-kOfYSG dRGWbI"><div class="ContentHearLeadAssetContentMedia-bLEIpi jjhWdS lead-assetntentphoto"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW jvZaPI rponsive-asset ContentHearRponsiveAsset-bREgIb hONbnm"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz gpkgCv"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa ContentHearRponsiveAsset-bREgIb hONbnm rponsive-image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w, 960w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w, 960w, 1280w, 1600w, 1920w, 2240w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="A GIF shows a stream of data materialize to a portra of Peter Thiel." class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-imageimage" src="></picture></div></div></span></div></figure></div><div class="ContentHearLeadContentFullWidth-cvJzX hHaBOT"><figure class="ContentHearLeadContentCaptnCred-hSIIqJ kQVfzg"><div class="CaptnWrapper-jSZdqE iTuhkZ ptn ContentHearLeadAssetCaptn-hPWmSN cwKyFH"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptnCred-ejegDm iUEiRd iicloT jbIJNS ptncred">Illtratn by Nika Iziev; Source photograph by Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg / Getty</span></div></figure></div></div></hear></div><div data-attribute-verso-pattern="article-body" class="ArticlePageContentBackGround-cNiFNN kbAoLA article-bodyntent"><div class="ActnBarWrapperContent-lasBkU cAHp"><div class="ActnBarWrapperComponent-cjwxLS bEeSLb"><div data-attr-viewport-monor="" class="ActnBarWrapper-dhxmQh kNjTbQ viewport-monor-anchor"><button id="bookmark" aria-label="Save this story" class="ActnBarButton-dyFOZU hQrwCF bookmark large-screen"><span class="ActnBarSendaryButtonPrimaryIn-isbvyN cAwccV bookmark-button-in"><svg class="in in-bookmark" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="><tle>Save this story</tle><path class="in-bookmark-fill" d="M20 23.9508L12.5 19.7312L5 23.9508V2.95081H14V3.93211H6V22.1845L12.5 18.5536L19 22.1845V8.83866H20V23.9508Z"></path><path class="in-bookmark-fill" d="M23 3H20V0H19V3H16V4H19V7H20V4H23V3Z"></path></svg></span><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ActnBarButtonText-bYXYuh iUEiRd bkefvo gkccfO">Save this story</span></button></div><div data-attr-viewport-monor="" class="ActnBarWrapper-dhxmQh kAEsuD viewport-monor-anchor"><button id="bookmark" aria-label="Save this story" class="ActnBarButton-dyFOZU cjjxgx bookmark mobile"><span class="ActnBarSendaryButtonPrimaryIn-isbvyN cAwccV bookmark-button-in"><svg class="in in-bookmark" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="><tle>Save this story</tle><path class="in-bookmark-fill" d="M20 23.9508L12.5 19.7312L5 23.9508V2.95081H14V3.93211H6V22.1845L12.5 18.5536L19 22.1845V8.83866H20V23.9508Z"></path><path class="in-bookmark-fill" d="M23 3H20V0H19V3H16V4H19V7H20V4H23V3Z"></path></svg></span><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ActnBarButtonText-bYXYuh iUEiRd bkefvo gkccfO">Save this story</span></button></div></div></div><div class="LightboxWrapper-dxsWBV hhylRt"><div class="ArticlePageChunksContent-etcMtP bwyLBj"><div data-ttid="ArticlePageChunks" class="ArticlePageChunks-fLyCVG Uozmo"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layoutntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa bDyAMU body bodyntaer articlebody" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="bodyner-ntaer"><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg">Silin Valley is not a i known for glamour and charisma. Still, Peter Thiel has cultivated a mystique. A billnaire several tim over, Thiel was a -founr of PayPal, the digal-payment service, and the first outsi vtor Facebook. He went on to -found Palantir, the data-telligence pany that has worked wh the U.S. ernment. He has -wrten a bs bt-seller, “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Zero to One</a>,” and lnched a hedge fund; he now ns three <a href=">venture-pal firms</a>. But Thiel’s ra emanat not so much om the achievements as om a more <a href=">general fish-out-of-water qualy</a>. In 2018, cg a regnal tolerance of nservative perspectiv, he moved om Silin Valley to Los Angel; he recently purchased a mansn Miami Beach. He served on <a href=">Donald Tmp</a>’s transn team and, an addrs before the Republin Natnal Conventn, clared, “I am proud to be gay.” He has vted efforts to “cure” agg, and also libertarian anizatns that hope to create floatg ci ternatnal waters. He publish long, wdg says on polics, globalizatn, enomics, and the nature of humany that often nta Biblil epigraphs and referenc to the philosophy of his late mentor and iend, the anthropologil theorist René Girard. Thiel also has si projects: Frisson, a now shuttered lounge and rtrant San Francis; <em>Amerin Thunr</em>, a short-lived nservative publitn geared toward Nasr fans; and the bankrollg of a lawsu lnched on behalf of the wrtler Hulk Hogan, which culmated the 2016 bankptcy of <a href=">Gawker Media</a>.</p><p class="paywall">Thiel has fans who follow him his peregratns. He has bee a center of gravy the culture of Silin Valley, and his equent talks and says are circulated and analyzed by both admirers and crics. In “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silin Valley’s Pursu of Power</a>,” the Bloomberg journalist Max Chafk argu that Thiel “has been rponsible for creatg the iology that has e to fe Silin Valley: that technologil progrs should be pursued relentlsly—wh ltle, if any, regard for potential sts or dangers to society.” Thiel’s vote see him differently—as a techno-libertarian who associat technologil advancement wh personal eedom, scientific progrs, and even salvatn.</p><p class="paywall">Fascatn wh the rich is pervasive and evable, and, as a nservative a superficially progrsive dtry, Thiel naturally attracts adherents. Still, he is an odd entry the Silin Valley pantheon. He is not a technologist or a product visnary; he do not helm a pany that obvly shap everyday life. <a href=">Steve Jobs</a>, <a href=">Bill Gat</a>, <a href=">Jeff Bezos</a>, and even <a href=">Mark Zuckerberg</a> have their own fan clubs, but there are no equivalents to Thielian exegis; few people seem to bother speculatg on the tellectual roots of Mark Zuckerberg’s bs philosophy. How has a tech vtor wh oteric terts ptured the imagatns of so many? What is about Peter Thiel?</p><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg paywall">Thiel was born Frankfurt, Germany, 1967, and first me to the Uned Stat as an fant. The fay moved to Cleveland 1968, but later reloted to what was then South Wt Ai, where Thiel’s father, a chemil engeer, oversaw the velopment of a uranium me near Swakopmund. They returned to the U.S. when Thiel was still a young child, settlg Foster Cy, a middle-class suburb the Bay Area. Chafk scrib Thiel’s upbrgg as Christian and wr that his parents were eventual “fanatil Republins.” (Thiel ni claims that his parents were Evangelil or Republin.) Thiel, meanwhile, beme an archetypal neteen-eighti geek—a talented stunt, chs player, and science-fictn enthiast who was bullied by his peers.</p><p class="paywall">Thiel arrived at Stanford 1985. He played speed chs, disvered <a href=">Ayn Rand</a>, and gravated toward the work of Girard, a profsor at the school. Thiel was particularly taken wh Girard’s ncept of mimetic sire. “Man is the creature who do not know what to sire, and he turns to others orr to make up his md,” Girard wrote. “We sire what others sire bee we imate their sir.” Mimetic sire volv a surrenr of agency— means allowg others to dictate one’s wants—and, the theory go, n foster envy, rivalry, fightg, and rentment. It also, Girard wrote, leads to acts of vlent spegoatg, which serve to preclu further mass nflicts by unifyg persecutors agast a group or an dividual. Thiel would later e this amework to velop his own theori about polics, tech vtg, and culture.</p><p class="paywall">In 1987, Thiel lnched a mp monthly, the <em>Stanford Review</em>, wh Norman Book, a high-school iend. At a time when other polilly active Stanford stunts were petng for South Ain divtment and prottg the universy’s plan to hoe the Reagan Library, the <em>Review</em> was avowedly nservative. Early issu, Chafk not, clud a ont-page story on liberal profsors who were “closet Marxists”; an op-ed stg aspersns on the cln of nonwhe thors a Wtern Culture urse; and a strange, satiril sex lumn, “Confsns of a Sexual Deviant,” about a straight young man who was celibate by choice. As the <em class="small">AIDS</em> crisis raged the Bay Area, the monthly prted treatis agast “unnatural forms of sex” and “homophobia-phobia.” Chafk wr that, when a Stanford senr was charged wh sexual asslt, the <em>Review</em> published an arnt fense of the rapist.</p><p class="paywall">After law school, Thiel clerked for a nservative judge Atlanta, then beme a first-year associate at a rporate-law firm. He qu his law job after seven months, worked for a while as a rivativ trar, and -thored a book about mp polics, “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Diversy Myth</a>,” wh David Sacks, a iend om the <em>Review</em>. He started a hedge fund, Thiel Capal, wh money raised om fay and iends, and then, 1998, met a young cryptographer, Max Levch, and vted his startup. Wh a year, Thiel was the C.E.O. of Levch’s pany, Confy, which offered a money-transfer service lled PayPal. For Thiel, the service had revolutnary potential: a digal wallet, he said, uld lead to “the erosn of the natn-state.” Confy went on to hire four former <em>Review</em> edors, and half a dozen former staffers.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-1 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">For a time, PayPal shared a floor wh another digal-payment pany, , found by <a href=">Elon Mk</a>. Like , PayPal began to offer centiv to new ctomers—ten dollars to every new er, and ten dollars for every new er referred. PayPal was not registered as a bank, and did not llect rmatn about s ers; as a rult, Chafk wr, uld be ed for illic transactns that many banks and cred-rd pani did not tend to support (porn, gamblg), and which the pany later banned. Meanwhile, Levch created an eBay bot that ntacted sellers, exprsed tert their war, and then asked that they implement PayPal orr to be paid. (The pany donated the ems that bid for and won to the Red Cross.) Thanks to the ethilly dub techniqu—which might now be referred to as “growth hackg”—PayPal’s er base boomed.</p><p class="paywall">By early 2000, PayPal and X had roughly the same market share, and both were losg money. After some discsn, the two pani merged unr the X name, wh Thiel as the executive vice-print and Mk as the C.E.O. Acrdg to Chafk, Thiel disappeared om the pany after the 2000 market crash. (Thiel ni qutg at this time.) But, months later, while Mk was on his honeymoon, a group of senr PayPal employe lnched a up, otg Mk by threateng to rign, and havg Thiel stated as the C.E.O. Cg sourc close to the negotiatn, Chafk wr that, a year after the takeover, as PayPal prepared to go public, Thiel offered the pany’s board an ultimatum: he wanted more equy or he would qu. (Thiel ni any ultimatum.) The board granted him the equy. Shortly after PayPal began tradg, 2002, Thiel flipped the pany, sellg to eBay for one and a half billn dollars. As soon as the acquisn closed, he issued a prs release announcg his rignatn. Rather than ntug to lead PayPal, Thiel planned to start another hedge fund.</p><p class="paywall">Dodge the l, skirt the law, shiv your bs partner, abandon your iends: Chafk argu that the Silin Valley edn of this playbook was wrten at PayPal. Perhaps for this reason, the pany’s early executiv and employe beme known as the “PayPal mafia.” A group portra ma 2007, for a <a href=">story</a> <em>Fortune</em>, suggted that they embraced the moniker. In the photograph, twelve former PayPal employe s a rtrant. They are styled like the Corleone fay, plh tracksus and back-room sual. Mk is nspicuoly absent; Thiel ss center stage, at a two-top vered neat towers of poker chips. Wh his high forehead, ep-set blue ey, and fat se, he looks placid and amed.</p><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg paywall">In the late neti, Thiel was known <a href=">primarily for his work</a> wh PayPal; a small dience also knew him through his public wrg, which clud a polemic agast “mdls” multiculturalism at Stanford, published the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, and another agast affirmative actn, published Stanford’s magaze. (Both were -thored by Sacks.) As the new lennium began, however, Thiel’s terts and profile began to shift. Chafk wr that, followg September 11th, Thiel beme “creasgly nsumed by the threat posed by Islamic terrorism,” and grew skeptil “of immigratn, and of all other forms of globalizatn.” While workg at his new hedge fund, Clarium Capal, Thiel bankrolled a project lled Palantir—s name was spired by a “seeg stone” om J. R. R. Tolkien’s “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lord of the Rgs</a>” trilogy—which sought to llate and analyze an abundance of ernment data, om fancial rerds to cell-phone logs. Palantir reportedly ed software veloped at PayPal to intify crimal works and migate d; the ia was that, if the software was good enough to intify money lnrers, uld probably intify terrorists, too. (Thiel says that Palantir ed no PayPal tools whatsoever.) “It was assumed that this would vlate certa pre-9/11 privacy norms, but that would be totally fe a post-9/11 world,” Chafk wr. Then as now, n be hard for outsirs to get a handle on how well the software works: Chafk claims that, at least at first, Palantir’s telligence offergs were “effectively els” and “more a mo than a real product.” (Thiel ni this characterizatn.) The C.I.A. vted through s venture-pal arm, and the N.Y.P.D. was a ctomer. Palantir, which went public last year, is now valued at more than fifty billn dollars.</p><div class="Contaer-bkChBi byNLHx"></div><p class="paywall">In 2004, Thiel vted Facebook, loang what would later translate to a ten-per-cent stake the pany. Around the same time, he anized a small symposium at Stanford on “Polics and the Apolypse.” Thiel’s ntributn, later published as an say tled “The Strssian Moment,” was built on the premise that September 11th had upend “the entire polil and ary amework of the neteenth and twentieth centuri,” mandg “a reexamatn of the foundatns of morn polics.” The say drew om a grab bag of thkers— medated on Thomas Hobb and John Locke, then bed ias om the nservative polil theorists Leo Strss and Carl Schmt, who wrote about the aquaci of liberal mocracy, wh the work of Girard—to offer a diagnosis of morny. “A relig war has been brought to a land that no longer r for relig wars,” Thiel wrote. “Today, mere self-prervatn forc all of to look at the world anew, to thk strange new thoughts, and thereby to awaken om that very long and profable perd of tellectual slumber and amnia that is so misleadgly lled the Enlightenment.”</p><p class="paywall">The social ntract had proved aquate, Thiel argued; bee “the Wt” had bee secular, ratnal, and palist, there was seemgly no iologilly nsistent mo of retaliatn for September 11th. Thiel hypothized that Schmt, a legal scholar and member of the Nazi Party, would have lled for “a new csa”; such a rponse was herent, however, a secular culture that disavowed s own vlent nature. Thiel quoted Strss, who wrote that the Uned Stat owed s greatns “not only to her habual adherence to the prcipl of eedom and jtice, but also to her ocsnal viatn om them.” Acknowledgg such viatns was nsired “polilly rrect,” Thiel wrote, but the U.S. uld still e visible, unacuntable, extralegal, and extrajudicial channels of transnatnal power. Fally, he drew on Girard’s mimetic theory to lend his ias greater urgency: untri, racg to acquire nuclear weapons for mimetic reasons of “prtige,” were raisg the likelihood of “unbound apolyptic vlence.” The “sty of the postmorn world,” Thiel nclud, would be eher “the limls vlence of naway mimis, or the peace of the kgdom of God.”</p><p class="paywall">“The Strssian Moment” is sometim nsired a key text the Thiel non, even though is strangely hard to fd. (It seems to circulate primarily as a <a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">PDF of a photopy</a>, upload to Evernote.) In 2019, was the subject of an terview wh the Hoover Instutn’s Peter Robson; earlier this year, served as the backbone of a <a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">wily read Amazon review</a> of “The Contrarian,” which argued that Thiel’s cricisms of globalizatn, and his recent seemg embrace of natnalism, uld be terpreted as attempts “to buy time agast the apolypse for the plete revelatn of the nocent victim.” In many rpects, “The Strssian Moment” is an artifact of s era: the “Polics and Apolypse” symposium happened around the same time that Palantir was found, and ’s not surprisg that Thiel was thkg about global telligence apparat after September 11th. But is unual for an entreprenr or vtor to publish a disquisn on morny. Why did Thiel need such a high-flown theory of civilizatn and s disntents? Was his view of the world motivatg his actns, or was jtifyg them?</p><p class="paywall">Whether the future would be utopian or apolyptic, Thiel posned himself to prof. In 2005, he tablished a venture-pal firm, Founrs Fund, which announced that would be seekg “riskier, more out-of-the-box pani that really have the potential to change the world.” He veloped an tert life-extensn and anti-agg technologi—one of the firm’s early vtments was Halcyon Molecular, a startup that sought to feat agg through the velopment of genomic-sequencg technology—and fense ntractors, cludg SpaceX, Mk’s aerospace pany. Around this time, Valleywag, a new Silin Valley gossip blog owned by Gawker Media, began makg Thiel a regular subject. A 2006 post, “Three Valley Moguls Dabble Humany’s Future,” noted that Thiel—a “Valley exec vtg weird dreams of a super-telligent race”—had joed the board of the Sgulary Instute for Artificial Intelligence (now the Mache Intelligence Rearch Instute). In a later post, Valleywag mentned a mored ln-dollar donatn Thiel had ma to the Feratn for Amerin Immigratn Reform, a group affiliated wh NumbersUSA, a far-right anti-immigratn nonprof. A 2007 post, tled “Peter Thiel Is Totally Gay, People,” was particularly upsettg to Thiel: although many of his iends and lleagu had known that he was gay, he saw the post as an outg.</p><p class="paywall">As the drew to a close, Thiel beiend Patri Friedman, a puter programmer and grandson of Milton Friedman, who had wrten about so-lled seasteadg muni—hypothetil libertarian utopias floatg ternatnal waters. Thiel offered Friedman half a ln dollars to start a seasteadg nonprof. He also gave money to the <em class="small">SENS</em> Rearch Foundatn, an anti-agg nonprof, and to the Methelah Foundatn, an anizatn dited to life extensn. In 2009, he wrote <a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">an say</a> for Cato Unbound, an onle libertarian journal published by the Cato Instute, which he stated that he no longer believed “eedom and mocracy are patible,” and that “the vast crease welfare beneficiari” and the extensn of votg rights to women had “renred the notn of a ‘palist mocracy’ to an oxymoron.” (Followg backlash to the say, Thiel put out an adndum of sorts: “While I don’t thk any class of people should be disenanchised, I have ltle hope that votg will make thgs better.”) All of this only served as more fodr for Gawker.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-2 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">Around this time, Chafk wr, Thiel began readg says by Curtis Yarv, a puter programmer and blogger who the pen name Menci Moldbug. Yarv often wrote on “formalism,” a theory that argu agast mocracy and favor of a feral ernment stcture that operat more like a rporatn or dictatorship. The views later crystallized to what has been lled “neo-reactn.” This iology, Chafk claims, holds that climate science is dulent, that flatnary currenci are “diabolil,” and that geic differenc predispose certa groups to “mastery” and others to slavery. Thiel, Chafk wr, “subscribed to the first two views, if not the third.” (Thiel ni subscribg to any such views.)</p><div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--article-mid-ntent" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-unslot nsumer-marketg-unslot--article-mid-ntent nsumer-marketg-un__slot---ntent"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><p class="paywall">In 2015, Thiel published an say, “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Agast Enism</a>,” the Catholic magaze <em>First Thgs.</em> The piece opened wh vers om the Book of Revelatn, gtured toward natural-rource srcy, and culmated an chatologil argument for the necsy of technologil acceleratn. “Science and technology are natural alli,” Thiel wrote, “to an chatologil ame which God works through buildg the kgdom of heaven today, here on Earth— which the kgdom of heaven is both a future realy and somethg partially achievable the prent.” (In a letter to the edor, one rear rpond wh gentle horror: “Christians, as I unrstand the fah, have no illns about a ‘New Jesalem’ the here and now, or our pacy or wisdom to nstct one,” he <a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a>.) Some years later, <a href="> <em>New York</em></a>, Max Read, a former edor--chief of Gawker, would note that Thiel’s polics were rmed by “an apolyptic fear of stasis.” It was for this reason that, unlike most tech vtors, Thiel seemed acutely aware that the tech dtry might not have “add much to the enomy or to human happs, let alone monstrated ‘progrs.’ ”</p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layoutasi"><asi class="PersistentAsiWrapper-VGrR daRVRt persistent-asi" style="posn:absolute;top:to;height:to" data-ttid="PersistentAsiWrapper"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-boxprimary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="adslot adslot--rail" data-no-id="w5ihai"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-unslot nsumer-marketg-unslot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></asi></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan full-bleed-ad row-mid-ntent-ad"><div class="StickyMidContentAdWrapper-fSBzwl drzyIa ad-stickymidntent"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--mid-ntent should-hold-space"><div class="adslot adslot--mid-ntent" data-no-id="j2x8f"></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layoutntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa bDyAMU body bodyntaer articlebody" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="bodyner-ntaer"><p class="paywall">Thiel, short, was growg rtls. In the past, he had spent nearly two ln dollars supportg <a href=">Ron Pl</a>’s 2012 Printial n, and another two ln supportg <a href=">Ted Cz</a>. Now, Chafk argu, Thiel began lookg beyond tradnal nservative and libertarian , aimg to intify a base that more closely aligned wh neo-reactnari. In 2016, when Donald Tmp beme the Republin Printial nomee, Thiel saw a kd of openg. “Tmp was, many ways, a perfect avatar for the polil project Thiel had been pursug,” Chafk wr. He was “the ndidate always willg to say the unsayable.” In the most chaotic polician morn Amerin history, Thiel may have seen a way out of stasis.</p><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg paywall">Do Thiel’s world view make any sense? Crics see a tangle of unprcipled hypocrisi—tellectual ground ver for banal shamelsns and techy self-tert. Admirers perceive pth, and an enthrallg, novel amework for the future. Thiel’s volvement wh Tmp alienated some followers, but for others epened his mystique, raisg the possibily that he knew somethg his ntemporari did not.</p><p class="paywall">In some ways, Thiel’s visn of the future is faiar. Though he often grip that Hollywood futurism is too dystopian, wh sci-fi films reflective of a general technophobia, many of his vtments suggt a “Bla Runner”-like world that is aristic, private, secretive, rporate, and ntrolled. For him, the procs of liberal mocratic life are eher an obstacle or a distractn. Technologil novatn is paramount. What’s on offer is a fantasy of a future shaped purely by technology. The mixture of ol, utopian futurism and Msianic remptn is self a sci-fi trope.</p><p class="paywall">Meanwhile, vilifyg Thiel provis a sort of ver for the rt of the tech dtry. One implitn of the Girardian theory of mimis is that those who are spegoated reprent the broar llective’s vulnerabili and transgrsns. Most proment Silin Valley executiv have historilly intified as liberal, but one might ask whether their pani and products have actually advanced progrsive valu or ; today, privately owned platforms touted as mocratizg are arguably among the most centralized and anti-mocratic. Inasmuch as Thiel’s approach to technology acknowledg Silin Valley’s roots the ary-dtrial plex, he may be the tech dtry’s most hont reprentative. It is often remarked that he is a villa out of central stg.</p><p class="paywall">And yet, many ways, Thiel is genuely eccentric; this mak him an appealg tellectual figure at a time when tellectual life is largely onle and numbgly memeified. Tech culture is a body search of a bra, wh the hunt unfoldg browser tabs; the podsts and blog posts that seem to attract the most attentn tend to be ammunn for preëxistg arguments, and the books that attract rears—Yuval Noah Harari’s “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sapiens</a>,” Steven Pker’s “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Enlightenment Now</a>”—are often rced to self-affirmg, sound-be takeaways. Thiel has a more oteric tellectual inty, which draws on anthropology, polil theory, and theology. In public nversatn, he mov fluidly across the vobulari of high tech, theory, fance, and relign—an unual mix, regardls of s hivens. There is somethg for everyone: the Christian M.B.A. cur about Silin Valley, the young executive searchg for digtible learngs, the polics enthiast searchg for a new schema.</p><p class="paywall">Thiel’s fah, which is unr-examed “The Contrarian,” also seems central to his world view and appeal. In 2015, at a talk hosted by the Newbig Hoe of Studi, Thiel told the dience that Christiany was “the prism wh which I look at the whole world.” Earlier this year, Thiel gave an terview to Jerry Bowyer, an vtment manager and Christian blogger. They discsed Girard, Nietzsche, Plato, J’ rurrectn, the potential for human-talyzed apolypse, and whether the imatn of Christ uld be a path toward “fe optimism” and away om a distractible, polilly embroiled culture. This was not the sort of fom which one tends to fd a tech executive. To make an earnt attempt to engage wh Thiel’s tellectual life is to read Girard, Strss, and the Book of Revelatn; means explorg avenu of quiry that are likely new to most people. (Some of the avenu, bears mentng, may lead to neo-reactnary thought.) Bland Amerin cursy about the ultra-wealthy is extend to a high-md hermentic pursu.</p><p class="paywall">In the sheer variety and range of his referenc and spiratns, Thiel has somethg mon wh other twenty-first-century tellectual fluencers: <a href=">Rod Dreher</a>, Tyler Cowen, <a href=">Jordan Peterson</a>, <a href=">Stt Alexanr</a>. Each wh his own che of ias, theori, and ameworks, out of which emerg an tellectual inty. Outsi the nstrats of a typil amic syllab, study unfurls on the teacher’s idsyncratic terms, and preferenc are easily nfed wh polymathy. In many ways, this style of tellectual life is a natural outgrowth of the Inter, wh s rabb hol, endls threads, and broken lks. This tellectual style is also of a piece wh the emergent <a href=">newsletter enomy</a>, which rears n subscribe to an opnated terpreter—a personal gui.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-3 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">Of urse, when to Thiel, what registers as mystique may simply be practiced opacy. Strss, the nservative philosopher, proposed that amics and wrers often advance their ias through tentnally obscure prose—a technique which “the tth about all ccial thgs is prented exclively between the l,” such that is legible “not to all rears, but to tstworthy and telligent rears only.” In terviews, Thiel n e across as “Strssian”—opaque, enigmatic, even oracular. He is a master of nversatnal redirectn, and his arguments n be termate. Relig referenc and allns lend his ias about bs or globalizatn a sense of mysticism, as though the tth of his own speech is lurkg jt around the rner.</p><p class="paywall">Onle, clu proliferate—about Thiel’s ias and much else. Slths hunt for meang, and search for signs ditg that they are among the “tstworthy and telligent.” For Thiel’s fans, part of his appeal mt be the endls opportuni he prents for dg, cipherg, and hypothizg. He offers rears the anticipatn of revelatn. Then aga, the tth uld be much simpler: when money talks, people listen.</p><p class="paywall"><em>An earlier versn of this article misstated when Thiel -found PayPal.</em></p><le-embed name="" attrs="[object Object]" childTyp="llout:t i" hasProducts="false" ntentType="llout:"><hr class="paywall"/><h2 class="paywall">New Yorker Favor</h2><ul class="paywall"><li>DNA evince exonerated six nvicted killers. So why do some of them <a href=">rell the crime</a> so clearly?</li><li>Stephen Kg on <a href=">learng to wre aga</a> after an accint.</li><li><a href=">The bt horror movi for Halloween</a>—whout the gore.</li><li>Is palism a <a href=">threat to mocracy</a>?</li><li>They were plete strangers—until they were drawn to a terrifyg plot by an <a href=">enraged ex-hband</a>.</li><li>How n someone live wh only <a href=">half a bra</a>?</li><li>Sign up for our daily <a href=">newsletter</a> to receive the bt stori om <em>The New Yorker</em>.</li></ul><le-embed name="t i" attrs="[object Object]" childTyp="" hasProducts="false" ntentType="llout:t i"></le-embed></le-embed></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layoutasi"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-boxprimary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="adslot adslot--rail" data-no-id="nga5s"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-unslot nsumer-marketg-unslot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 PaywallInleBarrierWhWrapperGrid-fyrGfS kLQIUk grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layoutntent"><div class="body bodyle-barrier articlebody"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"><asi class="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper-iBnuqk lfXXa-D" data-ttid="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper"><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--paywall-le-barrier" role="prentatn" aria-live="pole" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-unslot nsumer-marketg-unslot--paywall-le-barrier"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></asi></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ContentWrapperGrid-fvkmBv brYtrA grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layoutntent"><div class="body bodyntaer"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"></div></div></div></div></div></div></article><div class="ContentFooterWrapper-jVNdRG dTJkpP ArticlePageContentFooterGrid-ccsXYy eMZRHU article-bodyfooter"><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layoutntent"></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layoutntent"><div class="ContributorsWrapper-eNpWFu GWFsc ntributors" data-ttid="Contributors"><div class="ContributorBWrapper-bnVHbt gMon"><div class="ContributorBAvatar-bIGTqf eMWbvj"><a href="/ntributors/anna-wiener"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW jvZaPI rponsive-asset"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa rponsive-image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-imageimage" src="></picture></span></a></div><div class="ContributorBContent-ubQdr jZTSSi"><div class="ContributorBHear-ledood XOIEx"></div><div class="ContributorBB-fBolsO giFhKz"><a href="/ntributors/anna-wiener">Anna Wiener</a> is a ntributg wrer to The New Yorker, verg Silin Valley, startup culture, and technology. She is the thor of “<a href=">Unnny Valley</a>.”</div><div class="ContributorBFooter-brqDlv ezUmSv"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layoutntent"><div data-ttid="TagCloudWrapper" class="TagCloudWrapper-gGgndx ctyZyK ContentFooterTagCloud-krQmRG ZLGh"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudSectnHear-cOforY iUEiRd bPyAoD kQQRmu">More:</span><a href="/tag/peter-thiel" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Peter Thiel</span></a><a href="/tag/silin-valley" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Silin Valley</span></a><a href="/tag/venture-palists" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Venture Capalists</span></a><a href="/tag/philosophy" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Philosophy</span></a><a href="/tag/paypal" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">PayPal</span></a><a href="/tag/hedge-funds" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Hedge Funds</span></a></div></div></div></div><div data-ttid="ContentFooterBottom" class="ContentFooterBottom-jwWZfC kcbyiW"><div class="ContentFooterNewsletterContentWrapper-bmjtna kixtae"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layoutntent"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper-fCqqkN jKSBhE newsletter-subscribe-form ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper-fpMElW eglIBL"><h3 class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDangeroHed-kRwWjt kbxOa-D newsletter-subscribe-formhed ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf">Daily</h3><div class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDek-kXonvc cKOhTM newsletter-subscribe-formk">The bt of <i>The New Yorker</i> today, cludg sential reads, fictn, humor, and a peek behd the scen of our biggt stori.</div></div><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper-keARJE hVWbzr"><form class="form-wh-validatn NewsletterSubscribeFormValidatn-iCYa-Dt dweEln" id="newsletter" name="newsletter" novalidate="" method="POST"><span class="TextFieldWrapper-Pzdqp hNhevp text-field" data-ttid="TextFieldWrapperemail"><label class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TextFieldLabel-klrYvg iUEiRd stdEm fvoOvz text-fieldlabel text-fieldlabel--sgle-le" for="newsletter-text-field-email" data-ttid="TextFieldLabelemail"><div class="TextFieldLabelText-cvvxBl eeDYTb">E-mail addrs</div><div class="TextFieldInputContaer-jcMPhb oFrOs"><put type="email" aria-scribedby="privacy-text" aria-valid="false" id="newsletter-text-field-email" required="" name="email" placeholr="E-mail addrs" class="BaseInput-fAzTdK TextFieldControlInput-eFUxkf eGzzTT laFPCK text-fieldntrol text-fieldntrol--put" data-ttid="TextFieldInputemail"/></div></label><button class="BaseButton-bLlsy ButtonWrapper-xCepQ bqVKKv dwpimO button button--utily TextFieldButton-csBrgY edxbrw" data-event-click="{"element":"Button"}" data-ttid="Button" type="subm"><span class="ButtonLabel-cjAuJN hzwRuG button__label">Sign up</span></button></span><div id="privacy-text" tabx="-1" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDisclaimer-bTVtiV bsgLJZ"><span><p>By signg up, you agree to our <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">User Agreement</a> and <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement</a>. 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Would be acceptable eher way?</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-embyle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-embyle"><div class="summary-embylentent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH dSEWiO byle bylbyle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU bylename"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss bylepreamble">By </span>Ivan Ehlers</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="SummaryItemWrapper-iwvBff ewgXAt summary-em summary-em--ARTICLE summary-em--no-in summary-em--text-align-left summary-em--layout-placement-text-below-sktop-only summary-em--layout-posn-image-right summary-em--layout-proportns-33-66 summary-em--si-by-si-align-center summary-em--si-by-si-image-right-mobile-false summary-em--standard SummaryCollectnGridSummaryItem-WColm dqlGhv" role="button" tabx="0"><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-emasset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-emimage-lk summary-em-trackgimage-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-2" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="Msi Miami Feels Btersweet" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-imageimage" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="SummaryItemContent-eiDYMl bcywvc summary-emntent"><div class="RubricWrapper-dKmCNX kImuKS bric bric--disvery SummaryItemRubric-dguGKN fYiFyD summary-embric"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">The Sportg Scene</span></div><a class="SummaryItemHedLk-civM cZPaWG summary-em-trackghed-lk summary-em__hed-lk" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-hed-2" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" href=" target="_self"><div class="SummaryItemHedBase-hiFYpQ iIjKeM summary-emhed" data-ttid="SummaryItemHed">Msi Miami Feels Btersweet</div></a><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-emasset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-emimage-lk summary-em-trackgimage-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-2" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="Msi Miami Feels Btersweet" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-imageimage" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ SummaryItemDek-CRfsi iUEiRd jxOIpm cPtisA summary-emk">The greatt soccer player of all time has entered the farewell-tour phase of his reer.</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-embyle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-embyle"><div class="summary-embylentent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH dSEWiO byle bylbyle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU bylename"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss bylepreamble">By </span>Jody Rosen</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="SummaryItemWrapper-iwvBff ewgXAt summary-em summary-em--ARTICLE summary-em--no-in summary-em--text-align-left summary-em--layout-placement-text-below-sktop-only summary-em--layout-posn-image-right summary-em--layout-proportns-33-66 summary-em--si-by-si-align-center summary-em--si-by-si-image-right-mobile-false summary-em--standard SummaryCollectnGridSummaryItem-WColm dqlGhv" role="button" tabx="0"><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-emasset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-emimage-lk summary-em-trackgimage-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-3" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="The Caphono Miracle of “The Brothers Karamazov”" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-imageimage" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="SummaryItemContent-eiDYMl bcywvc summary-emntent"><div class="RubricWrapper-dKmCNX kImuKS bric bric--disvery SummaryItemRubric-dguGKN fYiFyD summary-embric"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">Books</span></div><a class="SummaryItemHedLk-civM cZPaWG summary-em-trackghed-lk summary-em__hed-lk" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-hed-3" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" href=" target="_self"><div class="SummaryItemHedBase-hiFYpQ iIjKeM summary-emhed" data-ttid="SummaryItemHed">The Caphono Miracle of “The Brothers Karamazov”</div></a><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-emasset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-emimage-lk summary-em-trackgimage-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-3" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="The Caphono Miracle of “The Brothers Karamazov”" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-imageimage" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ SummaryItemDek-CRfsi iUEiRd jxOIpm cPtisA summary-emk">In Dostoyevsky’s fal novel, narrative unfurls at the mad and thentic pace of human emotn.</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-embyle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-embyle"><div class="summary-embylentent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH dSEWiO byle bylbyle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU bylename"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss bylepreamble">By </span>Jennifer Wilson</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="SummaryItemWrapper-iwvBff ewgXAt summary-em summary-em--ARTICLE summary-em--no-in summary-em--text-align-left summary-em--layout-placement-text-below-sktop-only summary-em--layout-posn-image-right summary-em--layout-proportns-33-66 summary-em--si-by-si-align-center summary-em--si-by-si-image-right-mobile-false summary-em--standard SummaryCollectnGridSummaryItem-WColm dqlGhv" role="button" tabx="0"><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-emasset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-emimage-lk summary-em-trackgimage-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-4" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="The Perils of Highly Procsed Food" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-imageimage" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="SummaryItemContent-eiDYMl bcywvc summary-emntent"><div class="RubricWrapper-dKmCNX kImuKS bric bric--disvery SummaryItemRubric-dguGKN fYiFyD summary-embric"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">Books</span></div><a class="SummaryItemHedLk-civM cZPaWG summary-em-trackghed-lk summary-em__hed-lk" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-hed-4" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" href=" target="_self"><div class="SummaryItemHedBase-hiFYpQ iIjKeM summary-emhed" data-ttid="SummaryItemHed">The Perils of Highly Procsed Food</div></a><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-emasset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-emimage-lk summary-em-trackgimage-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-4" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-emimage rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="The Perils of Highly Procsed Food" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-imageimage" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ SummaryItemDek-CRfsi iUEiRd jxOIpm cPtisA summary-emk">For lennia, human begs have engeered what they eat. Have we fally gone too far?</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-embyle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-embyle"><div class="summary-embylentent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH dSEWiO byle bylbyle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU bylename"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss bylepreamble">By </span>Adam Gopnik</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ SummaryCollectnGridSummaryItem-WColm dqlGhv ad ad--read-more"><div class="adslot adslot--read-more" data-no-id="1mhr9w"></div></div></div><div class="SummaryCollectnGridToActnWrapper-gnReGN eGayfk"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div 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is peter theil gay

22 Dec 2024

By now, you've likely heard how Peter Thiel parlayed a $500,000 vtment Facebook to a stake now worth $750 ln. There's been a csh of verage on his $220 ln Founrs Fund, which may well change the way entreprenrs get paid the Valley. We know about his mansn (he rents — clever!), his butler, his early-morng jogs. But what no one ever says out loud: Thiel is gay.

PETER THIEL MAK HISTORY AT RNC: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'

In any other electn, the ia of an openly gay, avowed libertarian member of Silin Valley’s ele addrsg the Republin Natnal Conventn on the same night as the nomee would seem, well, unnventnal, to say the least.

PETER THIEL IS TOTALLY GAY, PEOPLE

At this pot, however, ’s well unrstood that most thgs about this electn — and the speaker qutn, Peter Thiel — are jt, a -founr of PayPal, ma history Thursday night when he beme the first person to publicly announce to the GOP nventn that he is gay. "I am proud to be gay. Thiel prumably had his own sre to settle; 2007 Gawker’s Valleywag blog published a piece tled, “Peter Thiel is totally gay, people” before he was publicly out.

”Gregory Angelo, print of the pro-LGBT Log Cab Republins, hoped Thiel would also acknowledge the historic nature of his prence as a gay man.

BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM IS PETER THEIL GAY

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class="RubricLk-gRWSOU fgWnkQ bric__lk" href="/news/letter-om-silin-valley"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">Letter om Silin Valley</span></a></div></div></div><h1 data-ttid="ContentHearHed" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearHed-NCyCC iUEiRd NbxED hpJvIc">What Is It About Peter Thiel?</h1></div><div class="ContentHearAccredatn-lfctVB etVsnJ ntent-hear__accredatn" data-ttid="ContentHearAccredatn"><div class="ContentHearDek-bIqFFZ Mtme">The billnaire venture palist has fans and followers. What are they lookg for?</div><div class="ContentHearByle-kmPyCa gvUmxJ"><div class="ContentHearByleContent-dpPmNn DRFq"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl ContentHearByl-cZqgyJ bHLeKI"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH bwbwth byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn lOLCm byle__name"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG uhfVi byle__preamble">By </span><a class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM ByleLk-gEnFiw iUEiRd ggMZaT cXqSTL brYZgj byle__name-lk button" href="/ntributors/anna-wiener">Anna Wiener</a></span></span></p></div><time data-ttid="ContentHearPublishDate" dateTime="2021-10-27T10:09:43-04:00" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ContentHearPublishDate-eIBicG iUEiRd kYZrFA dAWEsn">October 27, 2021</time></div></div></div></div><div class="ContentHearLeadAsset-hGbumP kByCgj lead-asset ContentHearLeadAssetWrapper-hfXHEc gvsamZ lead-asset--width-fullbleed" data-ttid="ContentHearLeadAsset"><figure class="ContentHearLeadAssetContent-kOfYSG dRGWbI"><div class="ContentHearLeadAssetContentMedia-bLEIpi jjhWdS lead-asset__ntent__photo"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW jvZaPI rponsive-asset ContentHearRponsiveAsset-bREgIb hONbnm"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz gpkgCv"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa ContentHearRponsiveAsset-bREgIb hONbnm rponsive-image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w, 960w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w, 960w, 1280w, 1600w, 1920w, 2240w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="A GIF shows a stream of data materialize to a portra of Peter Thiel." class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></picture></div></div></span></div></figure></div><div class="ContentHearLeadContentFullWidth-cvJzX hHaBOT"><figure class="ContentHearLeadContentCaptnCred-hSIIqJ kQVfzg"><div class="CaptnWrapper-jSZdqE iTuhkZ ptn ContentHearLeadAssetCaptn-hPWmSN cwKyFH"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ CaptnCred-ejegDm iUEiRd iicloT jbIJNS ptn__cred">Illtratn by Nika Iziev; Source photograph by Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg / Getty</span></div></figure></div></div></hear></div><div data-attribute-verso-pattern="article-body" class="ArticlePageContentBackGround-cNiFNN kbAoLA article-body__ntent"><div class="ActnBarWrapperContent-lasBkU cAHp"><div class="ActnBarWrapperComponent-cjwxLS bEeSLb"><div data-attr-viewport-monor="" class="ActnBarWrapper-dhxmQh kNjTbQ viewport-monor-anchor"><button id="bookmark" aria-label="Save this story" class="ActnBarButton-dyFOZU hQrwCF bookmark large-screen"><span class="ActnBarSendaryButtonPrimaryIn-isbvyN cAwccV bookmark-button-in"><svg class="in in-bookmark" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="><tle>Save this story</tle><path class="in-bookmark-fill" d="M20 23.9508L12.5 19.7312L5 23.9508V2.95081H14V3.93211H6V22.1845L12.5 18.5536L19 22.1845V8.83866H20V23.9508Z"></path><path class="in-bookmark-fill" d="M23 3H20V0H19V3H16V4H19V7H20V4H23V3Z"></path></svg></span><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ActnBarButtonText-bYXYuh iUEiRd bkefvo gkccfO">Save this story</span></button></div><div data-attr-viewport-monor="" class="ActnBarWrapper-dhxmQh kAEsuD viewport-monor-anchor"><button id="bookmark" aria-label="Save this story" class="ActnBarButton-dyFOZU cjjxgx bookmark mobile"><span class="ActnBarSendaryButtonPrimaryIn-isbvyN cAwccV bookmark-button-in"><svg class="in in-bookmark" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="><tle>Save this story</tle><path class="in-bookmark-fill" d="M20 23.9508L12.5 19.7312L5 23.9508V2.95081H14V3.93211H6V22.1845L12.5 18.5536L19 22.1845V8.83866H20V23.9508Z"></path><path class="in-bookmark-fill" d="M23 3H20V0H19V3H16V4H19V7H20V4H23V3Z"></path></svg></span><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ ActnBarButtonText-bYXYuh iUEiRd bkefvo gkccfO">Save this story</span></button></div></div></div><div class="LightboxWrapper-dxsWBV hhylRt"><div class="ArticlePageChunksContent-etcMtP bwyLBj"><div data-ttid="ArticlePageChunks" class="ArticlePageChunks-fLyCVG Uozmo"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa bDyAMU body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg">Silin Valley is not a i known for glamour and charisma. Still, Peter Thiel has cultivated a mystique. A billnaire several tim over, Thiel was a -founr of PayPal, the digal-payment service, and the first outsi vtor Facebook. He went on to -found Palantir, the data-telligence pany that has worked wh the U.S. ernment. He has -wrten a bs bt-seller, “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Zero to One</a>,” and lnched a hedge fund; he now ns three <a href=">venture-pal firms</a>. But Thiel’s ra emanat not so much om the achievements as om a more <a href=">general fish-out-of-water qualy</a>. In 2018, cg a regnal tolerance of nservative perspectiv, he moved om Silin Valley to Los Angel; he recently purchased a mansn Miami Beach. He served on <a href=">Donald Tmp</a>’s transn team and, an addrs before the Republin Natnal Conventn, clared, “I am proud to be gay.” He has vted efforts to “cure” agg, and also libertarian anizatns that hope to create floatg ci ternatnal waters. He publish long, wdg says on polics, globalizatn, enomics, and the nature of humany that often nta Biblil epigraphs and referenc to the philosophy of his late mentor and iend, the anthropologil theorist René Girard. Thiel also has si projects: Frisson, a now shuttered lounge and rtrant San Francis; <em>Amerin Thunr</em>, a short-lived nservative publitn geared toward Nasr fans; and the bankrollg of a lawsu lnched on behalf of the wrtler Hulk Hogan, which culmated the 2016 bankptcy of <a href=">Gawker Media</a>.</p><p class="paywall">Thiel has fans who follow him his peregratns. He has bee a center of gravy the culture of Silin Valley, and his equent talks and says are circulated and analyzed by both admirers and crics. In “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silin Valley’s Pursu of Power</a>,” the Bloomberg journalist Max Chafk argu that Thiel “has been rponsible for creatg the iology that has e to fe Silin Valley: that technologil progrs should be pursued relentlsly—wh ltle, if any, regard for potential sts or dangers to society.” Thiel’s vote see him differently—as a techno-libertarian who associat technologil advancement wh personal eedom, scientific progrs, and even salvatn.</p><p class="paywall">Fascatn wh the rich is pervasive and evable, and, as a nservative a superficially progrsive dtry, Thiel naturally attracts adherents. Still, he is an odd entry the Silin Valley pantheon. He is not a technologist or a product visnary; he do not helm a pany that obvly shap everyday life. <a href=">Steve Jobs</a>, <a href=">Bill Gat</a>, <a href=">Jeff Bezos</a>, and even <a href=">Mark Zuckerberg</a> have their own fan clubs, but there are no equivalents to Thielian exegis; few people seem to bother speculatg on the tellectual roots of Mark Zuckerberg’s bs philosophy. How has a tech vtor wh oteric terts ptured the imagatns of so many? What is about Peter Thiel?</p><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg paywall">Thiel was born Frankfurt, Germany, 1967, and first me to the Uned Stat as an fant. The fay moved to Cleveland 1968, but later reloted to what was then South Wt Ai, where Thiel’s father, a chemil engeer, oversaw the velopment of a uranium me near Swakopmund. They returned to the U.S. when Thiel was still a young child, settlg Foster Cy, a middle-class suburb the Bay Area. Chafk scrib Thiel’s upbrgg as Christian and wr that his parents were eventual “fanatil Republins.” (Thiel ni claims that his parents were Evangelil or Republin.) Thiel, meanwhile, beme an archetypal neteen-eighti geek—a talented stunt, chs player, and science-fictn enthiast who was bullied by his peers.</p><p class="paywall">Thiel arrived at Stanford 1985. He played speed chs, disvered <a href=">Ayn Rand</a>, and gravated toward the work of Girard, a profsor at the school. Thiel was particularly taken wh Girard’s ncept of mimetic sire. “Man is the creature who do not know what to sire, and he turns to others orr to make up his md,” Girard wrote. “We sire what others sire bee we imate their sir.” Mimetic sire volv a surrenr of agency— means allowg others to dictate one’s wants—and, the theory go, n foster envy, rivalry, fightg, and rentment. It also, Girard wrote, leads to acts of vlent spegoatg, which serve to preclu further mass nflicts by unifyg persecutors agast a group or an dividual. Thiel would later e this amework to velop his own theori about polics, tech vtg, and culture.</p><p class="paywall">In 1987, Thiel lnched a mp monthly, the <em>Stanford Review</em>, wh Norman Book, a high-school iend. At a time when other polilly active Stanford stunts were petng for South Ain divtment and prottg the universy’s plan to hoe the Reagan Library, the <em>Review</em> was avowedly nservative. Early issu, Chafk not, clud a ont-page story on liberal profsors who were “closet Marxists”; an op-ed stg aspersns on the cln of nonwhe thors a Wtern Culture urse; and a strange, satiril sex lumn, “Confsns of a Sexual Deviant,” about a straight young man who was celibate by choice. As the <em class="small">AIDS</em> crisis raged the Bay Area, the monthly prted treatis agast “unnatural forms of sex” and “homophobia-phobia.” Chafk wr that, when a Stanford senr was charged wh sexual asslt, the <em>Review</em> published an arnt fense of the rapist.</p><p class="paywall">After law school, Thiel clerked for a nservative judge Atlanta, then beme a first-year associate at a rporate-law firm. He qu his law job after seven months, worked for a while as a rivativ trar, and -thored a book about mp polics, “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Diversy Myth</a>,” wh David Sacks, a iend om the <em>Review</em>. He started a hedge fund, Thiel Capal, wh money raised om fay and iends, and then, 1998, met a young cryptographer, Max Levch, and vted his startup. Wh a year, Thiel was the C.E.O. of Levch’s pany, Confy, which offered a money-transfer service lled PayPal. For Thiel, the service had revolutnary potential: a digal wallet, he said, uld lead to “the erosn of the natn-state.” Confy went on to hire four former <em>Review</em> edors, and half a dozen former staffers.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-1 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">For a time, PayPal shared a floor wh another digal-payment pany, , found by <a href=">Elon Mk</a>. Like , PayPal began to offer centiv to new ctomers—ten dollars to every new er, and ten dollars for every new er referred. PayPal was not registered as a bank, and did not llect rmatn about s ers; as a rult, Chafk wr, uld be ed for illic transactns that many banks and cred-rd pani did not tend to support (porn, gamblg), and which the pany later banned. Meanwhile, Levch created an eBay bot that ntacted sellers, exprsed tert their war, and then asked that they implement PayPal orr to be paid. (The pany donated the ems that bid for and won to the Red Cross.) Thanks to the ethilly dub techniqu—which might now be referred to as “growth hackg”—PayPal’s er base boomed.</p><p class="paywall">By early 2000, PayPal and X had roughly the same market share, and both were losg money. After some discsn, the two pani merged unr the X name, wh Thiel as the executive vice-print and Mk as the C.E.O. Acrdg to Chafk, Thiel disappeared om the pany after the 2000 market crash. (Thiel ni qutg at this time.) But, months later, while Mk was on his honeymoon, a group of senr PayPal employe lnched a up, otg Mk by threateng to rign, and havg Thiel stated as the C.E.O. Cg sourc close to the negotiatn, Chafk wr that, a year after the takeover, as PayPal prepared to go public, Thiel offered the pany’s board an ultimatum: he wanted more equy or he would qu. (Thiel ni any ultimatum.) The board granted him the equy. Shortly after PayPal began tradg, 2002, Thiel flipped the pany, sellg to eBay for one and a half billn dollars. As soon as the acquisn closed, he issued a prs release announcg his rignatn. Rather than ntug to lead PayPal, Thiel planned to start another hedge fund.</p><p class="paywall">Dodge the l, skirt the law, shiv your bs partner, abandon your iends: Chafk argu that the Silin Valley edn of this playbook was wrten at PayPal. Perhaps for this reason, the pany’s early executiv and employe beme known as the “PayPal mafia.” A group portra ma 2007, for a <a href=">story</a> <em>Fortune</em>, suggted that they embraced the moniker. In the photograph, twelve former PayPal employe s a rtrant. They are styled like the Corleone fay, plh tracksus and back-room sual. Mk is nspicuoly absent; Thiel ss center stage, at a two-top vered neat towers of poker chips. Wh his high forehead, ep-set blue ey, and fat se, he looks placid and amed.</p><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg paywall">In the late neti, Thiel was known <a href=">primarily for his work</a> wh PayPal; a small dience also knew him through his public wrg, which clud a polemic agast “mdls” multiculturalism at Stanford, published the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, and another agast affirmative actn, published Stanford’s magaze. (Both were -thored by Sacks.) As the new lennium began, however, Thiel’s terts and profile began to shift. Chafk wr that, followg September 11th, Thiel beme “creasgly nsumed by the threat posed by Islamic terrorism,” and grew skeptil “of immigratn, and of all other forms of globalizatn.” While workg at his new hedge fund, Clarium Capal, Thiel bankrolled a project lled Palantir—s name was spired by a “seeg stone” om J. R. R. Tolkien’s “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lord of the Rgs</a>” trilogy—which sought to llate and analyze an abundance of ernment data, om fancial rerds to cell-phone logs. Palantir reportedly ed software veloped at PayPal to intify crimal works and migate d; the ia was that, if the software was good enough to intify money lnrers, uld probably intify terrorists, too. (Thiel says that Palantir ed no PayPal tools whatsoever.) “It was assumed that this would vlate certa pre-9/11 privacy norms, but that would be totally fe a post-9/11 world,” Chafk wr. Then as now, n be hard for outsirs to get a handle on how well the software works: Chafk claims that, at least at first, Palantir’s telligence offergs were “effectively els” and “more a mo than a real product.” (Thiel ni this characterizatn.) The C.I.A. vted through s venture-pal arm, and the N.Y.P.D. was a ctomer. Palantir, which went public last year, is now valued at more than fifty billn dollars.</p><div class="Contaer-bkChBi byNLHx"></div><p class="paywall">In 2004, Thiel vted Facebook, loang what would later translate to a ten-per-cent stake the pany. Around the same time, he anized a small symposium at Stanford on “Polics and the Apolypse.” Thiel’s ntributn, later published as an say tled “The Strssian Moment,” was built on the premise that September 11th had upend “the entire polil and ary amework of the neteenth and twentieth centuri,” mandg “a reexamatn of the foundatns of morn polics.” The say drew om a grab bag of thkers— medated on Thomas Hobb and John Locke, then bed ias om the nservative polil theorists Leo Strss and Carl Schmt, who wrote about the aquaci of liberal mocracy, wh the work of Girard—to offer a diagnosis of morny. “A relig war has been brought to a land that no longer r for relig wars,” Thiel wrote. “Today, mere self-prervatn forc all of to look at the world anew, to thk strange new thoughts, and thereby to awaken om that very long and profable perd of tellectual slumber and amnia that is so misleadgly lled the Enlightenment.”</p><p class="paywall">The social ntract had proved aquate, Thiel argued; bee “the Wt” had bee secular, ratnal, and palist, there was seemgly no iologilly nsistent mo of retaliatn for September 11th. Thiel hypothized that Schmt, a legal scholar and member of the Nazi Party, would have lled for “a new csa”; such a rponse was herent, however, a secular culture that disavowed s own vlent nature. Thiel quoted Strss, who wrote that the Uned Stat owed s greatns “not only to her habual adherence to the prcipl of eedom and jtice, but also to her ocsnal viatn om them.” Acknowledgg such viatns was nsired “polilly rrect,” Thiel wrote, but the U.S. uld still e visible, unacuntable, extralegal, and extrajudicial channels of transnatnal power. Fally, he drew on Girard’s mimetic theory to lend his ias greater urgency: untri, racg to acquire nuclear weapons for mimetic reasons of “prtige,” were raisg the likelihood of “unbound apolyptic vlence.” The “sty of the postmorn world,” Thiel nclud, would be eher “the limls vlence of naway mimis, or the peace of the kgdom of God.”</p><p class="paywall">“The Strssian Moment” is sometim nsired a key text the Thiel non, even though is strangely hard to fd. (It seems to circulate primarily as a <a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">PDF of a photopy</a>, upload to Evernote.) In 2019, was the subject of an terview wh the Hoover Instutn’s Peter Robson; earlier this year, served as the backbone of a <a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">wily read Amazon review</a> of “The Contrarian,” which argued that Thiel’s cricisms of globalizatn, and his recent seemg embrace of natnalism, uld be terpreted as attempts “to buy time agast the apolypse for the plete revelatn of the nocent victim.” In many rpects, “The Strssian Moment” is an artifact of s era: the “Polics and Apolypse” symposium happened around the same time that Palantir was found, and ’s not surprisg that Thiel was thkg about global telligence apparat after September 11th. But is unual for an entreprenr or vtor to publish a disquisn on morny. Why did Thiel need such a high-flown theory of civilizatn and s disntents? Was his view of the world motivatg his actns, or was jtifyg them?</p><p class="paywall">Whether the future would be utopian or apolyptic, Thiel posned himself to prof. In 2005, he tablished a venture-pal firm, Founrs Fund, which announced that would be seekg “riskier, more out-of-the-box pani that really have the potential to change the world.” He veloped an tert life-extensn and anti-agg technologi—one of the firm’s early vtments was Halcyon Molecular, a startup that sought to feat agg through the velopment of genomic-sequencg technology—and fense ntractors, cludg SpaceX, Mk’s aerospace pany. Around this time, Valleywag, a new Silin Valley gossip blog owned by Gawker Media, began makg Thiel a regular subject. A 2006 post, “Three Valley Moguls Dabble Humany’s Future,” noted that Thiel—a “Valley exec vtg weird dreams of a super-telligent race”—had joed the board of the Sgulary Instute for Artificial Intelligence (now the Mache Intelligence Rearch Instute). In a later post, Valleywag mentned a mored ln-dollar donatn Thiel had ma to the Feratn for Amerin Immigratn Reform, a group affiliated wh NumbersUSA, a far-right anti-immigratn nonprof. A 2007 post, tled “Peter Thiel Is Totally Gay, People,” was particularly upsettg to Thiel: although many of his iends and lleagu had known that he was gay, he saw the post as an outg.</p><p class="paywall">As the drew to a close, Thiel beiend Patri Friedman, a puter programmer and grandson of Milton Friedman, who had wrten about so-lled seasteadg muni—hypothetil libertarian utopias floatg ternatnal waters. Thiel offered Friedman half a ln dollars to start a seasteadg nonprof. He also gave money to the <em class="small">SENS</em> Rearch Foundatn, an anti-agg nonprof, and to the Methelah Foundatn, an anizatn dited to life extensn. In 2009, he wrote <a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">an say</a> for Cato Unbound, an onle libertarian journal published by the Cato Instute, which he stated that he no longer believed “eedom and mocracy are patible,” and that “the vast crease welfare beneficiari” and the extensn of votg rights to women had “renred the notn of a ‘palist mocracy’ to an oxymoron.” (Followg backlash to the say, Thiel put out an adndum of sorts: “While I don’t thk any class of people should be disenanchised, I have ltle hope that votg will make thgs better.”) All of this only served as more fodr for Gawker.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-2 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">Around this time, Chafk wr, Thiel began readg says by Curtis Yarv, a puter programmer and blogger who the pen name Menci Moldbug. Yarv often wrote on “formalism,” a theory that argu agast mocracy and favor of a feral ernment stcture that operat more like a rporatn or dictatorship. The views later crystallized to what has been lled “neo-reactn.” This iology, Chafk claims, holds that climate science is dulent, that flatnary currenci are “diabolil,” and that geic differenc predispose certa groups to “mastery” and others to slavery. Thiel, Chafk wr, “subscribed to the first two views, if not the third.” (Thiel ni subscribg to any such views.)</p><div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--article-mid-ntent" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--article-mid-ntent nsumer-marketg-un__slot---ntent"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><p class="paywall">In 2015, Thiel published an say, “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Agast Enism</a>,” the Catholic magaze <em>First Thgs.</em> The piece opened wh vers om the Book of Revelatn, gtured toward natural-rource srcy, and culmated an chatologil argument for the necsy of technologil acceleratn. “Science and technology are natural alli,” Thiel wrote, “to an chatologil ame which God works through buildg the kgdom of heaven today, here on Earth— which the kgdom of heaven is both a future realy and somethg partially achievable the prent.” (In a letter to the edor, one rear rpond wh gentle horror: “Christians, as I unrstand the fah, have no illns about a ‘New Jesalem’ the here and now, or our pacy or wisdom to nstct one,” he <a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a>.) Some years later, <a href="> <em>New York</em></a>, Max Read, a former edor--chief of Gawker, would note that Thiel’s polics were rmed by “an apolyptic fear of stasis.” It was for this reason that, unlike most tech vtors, Thiel seemed acutely aware that the tech dtry might not have “add much to the enomy or to human happs, let alone monstrated ‘progrs.’ ”</p></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><asi class="PersistentAsiWrapper-VGrR daRVRt persistent-asi" style="posn:absolute;top:to;height:to" data-ttid="PersistentAsiWrapper"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="w5ihai"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></asi></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan full-bleed-ad row-mid-ntent-ad"><div class="StickyMidContentAdWrapper-fSBzwl drzyIa ad-stickymidntent"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--mid-ntent should-hold-space"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--mid-ntent" data-no-id="j2x8f"></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ArticlePageChunksGrid-hfxa bjczjj grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="BodyWrapper-kufPGa bDyAMU body body__ntaer article__body" data-journey-hook="client-ntent" data-ttid="BodyWrapper"><div class="body__ner-ntaer"><p class="paywall">Thiel, short, was growg rtls. In the past, he had spent nearly two ln dollars supportg <a href=">Ron Pl</a>’s 2012 Printial n, and another two ln supportg <a href=">Ted Cz</a>. Now, Chafk argu, Thiel began lookg beyond tradnal nservative and libertarian , aimg to intify a base that more closely aligned wh neo-reactnari. In 2016, when Donald Tmp beme the Republin Printial nomee, Thiel saw a kd of openg. “Tmp was, many ways, a perfect avatar for the polil project Thiel had been pursug,” Chafk wr. He was “the ndidate always willg to say the unsayable.” In the most chaotic polician morn Amerin history, Thiel may have seen a way out of stasis.</p><p class="has-dropp has-dropp__lead-standard-headg paywall">Do Thiel’s world view make any sense? Crics see a tangle of unprcipled hypocrisi—tellectual ground ver for banal shamelsns and techy self-tert. Admirers perceive pth, and an enthrallg, novel amework for the future. Thiel’s volvement wh Tmp alienated some followers, but for others epened his mystique, raisg the possibily that he knew somethg his ntemporari did not.</p><p class="paywall">In some ways, Thiel’s visn of the future is faiar. Though he often grip that Hollywood futurism is too dystopian, wh sci-fi films reflective of a general technophobia, many of his vtments suggt a “Bla Runner”-like world that is aristic, private, secretive, rporate, and ntrolled. For him, the procs of liberal mocratic life are eher an obstacle or a distractn. Technologil novatn is paramount. What’s on offer is a fantasy of a future shaped purely by technology. The mixture of ol, utopian futurism and Msianic remptn is self a sci-fi trope.</p><p class="paywall">Meanwhile, vilifyg Thiel provis a sort of ver for the rt of the tech dtry. One implitn of the Girardian theory of mimis is that those who are spegoated reprent the broar llective’s vulnerabili and transgrsns. Most proment Silin Valley executiv have historilly intified as liberal, but one might ask whether their pani and products have actually advanced progrsive valu or ; today, privately owned platforms touted as mocratizg are arguably among the most centralized and anti-mocratic. Inasmuch as Thiel’s approach to technology acknowledg Silin Valley’s roots the ary-dtrial plex, he may be the tech dtry’s most hont reprentative. It is often remarked that he is a villa out of central stg.</p><p class="paywall">And yet, many ways, Thiel is genuely eccentric; this mak him an appealg tellectual figure at a time when tellectual life is largely onle and numbgly memeified. Tech culture is a body search of a bra, wh the hunt unfoldg browser tabs; the podsts and blog posts that seem to attract the most attentn tend to be ammunn for preëxistg arguments, and the books that attract rears—Yuval Noah Harari’s “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sapiens</a>,” Steven Pker’s “<a data-offer-url=" class="external-lk" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLk","outgogURL":"" href=" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Enlightenment Now</a>”—are often rced to self-affirmg, sound-be takeaways. Thiel has a more oteric tellectual inty, which draws on anthropology, polil theory, and theology. In public nversatn, he mov fluidly across the vobulari of high tech, theory, fance, and relign—an unual mix, regardls of s hivens. There is somethg for everyone: the Christian M.B.A. cur about Silin Valley, the young executive searchg for digtible learngs, the polics enthiast searchg for a new schema.</p><p class="paywall">Thiel’s fah, which is unr-examed “The Contrarian,” also seems central to his world view and appeal. In 2015, at a talk hosted by the Newbig Hoe of Studi, Thiel told the dience that Christiany was “the prism wh which I look at the whole world.” Earlier this year, Thiel gave an terview to Jerry Bowyer, an vtment manager and Christian blogger. They discsed Girard, Nietzsche, Plato, J’ rurrectn, the potential for human-talyzed apolypse, and whether the imatn of Christ uld be a path toward “fe optimism” and away om a distractible, polilly embroiled culture. This was not the sort of fom which one tends to fd a tech executive. To make an earnt attempt to engage wh Thiel’s tellectual life is to read Girard, Strss, and the Book of Revelatn; means explorg avenu of quiry that are likely new to most people. (Some of the avenu, bears mentng, may lead to neo-reactnary thought.) Bland Amerin cursy about the ultra-wealthy is extend to a high-md hermentic pursu.</p><p class="paywall">In the sheer variety and range of his referenc and spiratns, Thiel has somethg mon wh other twenty-first-century tellectual fluencers: <a href=">Rod Dreher</a>, Tyler Cowen, <a href=">Jordan Peterson</a>, <a href=">Stt Alexanr</a>. Each wh his own che of ias, theori, and ameworks, out of which emerg an tellectual inty. Outsi the nstrats of a typil amic syllab, study unfurls on the teacher’s idsyncratic terms, and preferenc are easily nfed wh polymathy. In many ways, this style of tellectual life is a natural outgrowth of the Inter, wh s rabb hol, endls threads, and broken lks. This tellectual style is also of a piece wh the emergent <a href=">newsletter enomy</a>, which rears n subscribe to an opnated terpreter—a personal gui.</p><div data-attr-viewport-monor="le-recirc" class="le-recirc-wrapper le-recirc-observer-target-3 viewport-monor-anchor"></div><p class="paywall">Of urse, when to Thiel, what registers as mystique may simply be practiced opacy. Strss, the nservative philosopher, proposed that amics and wrers often advance their ias through tentnally obscure prose—a technique which “the tth about all ccial thgs is prented exclively between the l,” such that is legible “not to all rears, but to tstworthy and telligent rears only.” In terviews, Thiel n e across as “Strssian”—opaque, enigmatic, even oracular. He is a master of nversatnal redirectn, and his arguments n be termate. Relig referenc and allns lend his ias about bs or globalizatn a sense of mysticism, as though the tth of his own speech is lurkg jt around the rner.</p><p class="paywall">Onle, clu proliferate—about Thiel’s ias and much else. Slths hunt for meang, and search for signs ditg that they are among the “tstworthy and telligent.” For Thiel’s fans, part of his appeal mt be the endls opportuni he prents for dg, cipherg, and hypothizg. He offers rears the anticipatn of revelatn. Then aga, the tth uld be much simpler: when money talks, people listen.</p><p class="paywall"><em>An earlier versn of this article misstated when Thiel -found PayPal.</em></p><le-embed name="" attrs="[object Object]" childTyp="llout:t i" hasProducts="false" ntentType="llout:"><hr class="paywall"/><h2 class="paywall">New Yorker Favor</h2><ul class="paywall"><li>DNA evince exonerated six nvicted killers. So why do some of them <a href=">rell the crime</a> so clearly?</li><li>Stephen Kg on <a href=">learng to wre aga</a> after an accint.</li><li><a href=">The bt horror movi for Halloween</a>—whout the gore.</li><li>Is palism a <a href=">threat to mocracy</a>?</li><li>They were plete strangers—until they were drawn to a terrifyg plot by an <a href=">enraged ex-hband</a>.</li><li>How n someone live wh only <a href=">half a bra</a>?</li><li>Sign up for our daily <a href=">newsletter</a> to receive the bt stori om <em>The New Yorker</em>.</li></ul><le-embed name="t i" attrs="[object Object]" childTyp="" hasProducts="false" ntentType="llout:t i"></le-embed></le-embed></div></div></div><div class="GridItem-buujkM fVLMby grid--em grid-layout__asi"><div class="StickyBoxWrapper-jfYB jxBcTH sticky-box"><div class="StickyBoxPrimary-dzWDWL cdhYoN sticky-box__primary"><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ ad ad--rail"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--rail" data-no-id="nga5s"></div></div><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--display-rail" role="prentatn" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--display-rail"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></div><div class="StickyBoxPlaceholr-grPmrg dxAvXx"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 PaywallInleBarrierWhWrapperGrid-fyrGfS kLQIUk grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="body body__le-barrier article__body"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"><asi class="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper-iBnuqk lfXXa-D" data-ttid="PaywallInleBarrierWrapper"><div class="ConsumerMarketgUnThemedWrapper-iUTMTf jssHut nsumer-marketg-un nsumer-marketg-un--paywall-le-barrier" role="prentatn" aria-live="pole" aria-hidn="te"><div class="nsumer-marketg-un__slot nsumer-marketg-un__slot--paywall-le-barrier"></div><div class="journey-un"></div></div></asi></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 ContentWrapperGrid-fvkmBv brYtrA grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="body body__ntaer"><div class="ntaer ntaer--body"><div class="ntaer--body-ner"></div></div></div></div></div></div></article><div class="ContentFooterWrapper-jVNdRG dTJkpP ArticlePageContentFooterGrid-ccsXYy eMZRHU article-body__footer"><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div class="ContributorsWrapper-eNpWFu GWFsc ntributors" data-ttid="Contributors"><div class="ContributorBWrapper-bnVHbt gMon"><div class="ContributorBAvatar-bIGTqf eMWbvj"><a href="/ntributors/anna-wiener"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW jvZaPI rponsive-asset"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa rponsive-image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></picture></span></a></div><div class="ContributorBContent-ubQdr jZTSSi"><div class="ContributorBHear-ledood XOIEx"></div><div class="ContributorBB-fBolsO giFhKz"><a href="/ntributors/anna-wiener">Anna Wiener</a> is a ntributg wrer to The New Yorker, verg Silin Valley, startup culture, and technology. She is the thor of “<a href=">Unnny Valley</a>.”</div><div class="ContributorBFooter-brqDlv ezUmSv"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div data-ttid="TagCloudWrapper" class="TagCloudWrapper-gGgndx ctyZyK ContentFooterTagCloud-krQmRG ZLGh"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudSectnHear-cOforY iUEiRd bPyAoD kQQRmu">More:</span><a href="/tag/peter-thiel" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Peter Thiel</span></a><a href="/tag/silin-valley" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Silin Valley</span></a><a href="/tag/venture-palists" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Venture Capalists</span></a><a href="/tag/philosophy" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Philosophy</span></a><a href="/tag/paypal" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">PayPal</span></a><a href="/tag/hedge-funds" class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BaseLk-eNWuiM TagCloudLk-kvjZFu iUEiRd ggMZaT gFob hIhJOI"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TagCloudName-eAUnLd iUEiRd gwIVBQ bUkXwu">Hedge Funds</span></a></div></div></div></div><div data-ttid="ContentFooterBottom" class="ContentFooterBottom-jwWZfC kcbyiW"><div class="ContentFooterNewsletterContentWrapper-bmjtna kixtae"><div class="GridWrapper-cAzTTK kHBDeH grid grid-margs grid-ems-2 grid-layout--adrail narrow wi-adrail"><div class="GridItem-buujkM stRKV grid--em grid-layout__ntent"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormWrapper-fCqqkN jKSBhE newsletter-subscribe-form ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf"><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormHedDekWrapper-fpMElW eglIBL"><h3 class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDangeroHed-kRwWjt kbxOa-D newsletter-subscribe-form__hed ContentFooterNewsletterForm-hKeYwa liPqcf">Daily</h3><div class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDek-kXonvc cKOhTM newsletter-subscribe-form__k">The bt of <i>The New Yorker</i> today, cludg sential reads, fictn, humor, and a peek behd the scen of our biggt stori.</div></div><div data-ttid="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormInputsWrapper-keARJE hVWbzr"><form class="form-wh-validatn NewsletterSubscribeFormValidatn-iCYa-Dt dweEln" id="newsletter" name="newsletter" novalidate="" method="POST"><span class="TextFieldWrapper-Pzdqp hNhevp text-field" data-ttid="TextFieldWrapper__email"><label class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ TextFieldLabel-klrYvg iUEiRd stdEm fvoOvz text-field__label text-field__label--sgle-le" for="newsletter-text-field-email" data-ttid="TextFieldLabel__email"><div class="TextFieldLabelText-cvvxBl eeDYTb">E-mail addrs</div><div class="TextFieldInputContaer-jcMPhb oFrOs"><put type="email" aria-scribedby="privacy-text" aria-valid="false" id="newsletter-text-field-email" required="" name="email" placeholr="E-mail addrs" class="BaseInput-fAzTdK TextFieldControlInput-eFUxkf eGzzTT laFPCK text-field__ntrol text-field__ntrol--put" data-ttid="TextFieldInput__email"/></div></label><button class="BaseButton-bLlsy ButtonWrapper-xCepQ bqVKKv dwpimO button button--utily TextFieldButton-csBrgY edxbrw" data-event-click="{"element":"Button"}" data-ttid="Button" type="subm"><span class="ButtonLabel-cjAuJN hzwRuG button__label">Sign up</span></button></span><div id="privacy-text" tabx="-1" class="NewsletterSubscribeFormDisclaimer-bTVtiV bsgLJZ"><span><p>By signg up, you agree to our <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">User Agreement</a> and <a href=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement</a>. 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Would be acceptable eher way?</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-em__byle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-em__byle"><div class="summary-em__byle__ntent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH dSEWiO byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU byle__name"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss byle__preamble">By </span>Ivan Ehlers</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="SummaryItemWrapper-iwvBff ewgXAt summary-em summary-em--ARTICLE summary-em--no-in summary-em--text-align-left summary-em--layout-placement-text-below-sktop-only summary-em--layout-posn-image-right summary-em--layout-proportns-33-66 summary-em--si-by-si-align-center summary-em--si-by-si-image-right-mobile-false summary-em--standard SummaryCollectnGridSummaryItem-WColm dqlGhv" role="button" tabx="0"><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-em__asset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-em__image-lk summary-em-trackg__image-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-2" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-em__image"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-em__image rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="Msi Miami Feels Btersweet" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="SummaryItemContent-eiDYMl bcywvc summary-em__ntent"><div class="RubricWrapper-dKmCNX kImuKS bric bric--disvery SummaryItemRubric-dguGKN fYiFyD summary-em__bric"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">The Sportg Scene</span></div><a class="SummaryItemHedLk-civM cZPaWG summary-em-trackg__hed-lk summary-em__hed-lk" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-hed-2" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" href=" target="_self"><div class="SummaryItemHedBase-hiFYpQ iIjKeM summary-em__hed" data-ttid="SummaryItemHed">Msi Miami Feels Btersweet</div></a><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-em__asset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-em__image-lk summary-em-trackg__image-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-2" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-em__image"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-em__image rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="Msi Miami Feels Btersweet" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ SummaryItemDek-CRfsi iUEiRd jxOIpm cPtisA summary-em__k">The greatt soccer player of all time has entered the farewell-tour phase of his reer.</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-em__byle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-em__byle"><div 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class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-em__image-lk summary-em-trackg__image-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-3" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-em__image"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-em__image rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="The Caphono Miracle of “The Brothers Karamazov”" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="SummaryItemContent-eiDYMl bcywvc summary-em__ntent"><div class="RubricWrapper-dKmCNX kImuKS bric bric--disvery SummaryItemRubric-dguGKN fYiFyD summary-em__bric"><span class="RubricName-fVtemz cLxcNi">Books</span></div><a class="SummaryItemHedLk-civM cZPaWG summary-em-trackg__hed-lk summary-em__hed-lk" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-hed-3" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" href=" target="_self"><div class="SummaryItemHedBase-hiFYpQ iIjKeM summary-em__hed" data-ttid="SummaryItemHed">The Caphono Miracle of “The Brothers Karamazov”</div></a><div class="SummaryItemAssetContaer-gwhFFH VOyg summary-em__asset-ntaer"><a class="SummaryItemImageLk-dshqxb USLvL summary-em__image-lk summary-em-trackg__image-lk" href=" aria-hidn="te" tabx="-1" data-ponent-type="recirc-river" data-recirc-id="em-image-3" data-recirc-pattern="summary-em" target="_self"><span class="SpanWrapper-umhxW kGxnNB rponsive-asset SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-em__image"><div data-tt="aspect-rat-ntaer" class="AspectRatContaer-bJHpJz jMoLpX"><div class="aspect-rat--overlay-ntaer"><picture class="RponsiveImagePicture-cWuUZO dUOtEa SummaryItemRponsiveAsset-hjGIGg egpoQR summary-em__image rponsive-image"><noscript><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="The Caphono Miracle of “The Brothers Karamazov”" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ SummaryItemDek-CRfsi iUEiRd jxOIpm cPtisA summary-em__k">In Dostoyevsky’s fal novel, narrative unfurls at the mad and thentic pace of human emotn.</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-em__byle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-em__byle"><div class="summary-em__byle__ntent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH dSEWiO byle byl__byle" 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media="(max-width: 767px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w, 640w" siz="100vw"/><source media="(m-width: 768px)" srcSet=" 120w, 240w, 320w" siz="100vw"/><img alt="The Perils of Highly Procsed Food" class="RponsiveImageContaer-eybHBd fptoWY rponsive-image__image" src="></noscript></picture></div></div></span></a></div><div class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ SummaryItemDek-CRfsi iUEiRd jxOIpm cPtisA summary-em__k">For lennia, human begs have engeered what they eat. Have we fally gone too far?</div><div class="SummaryItemByleWrapper-boCfbi cuRXdL summary-em__byle-date-in"><div class="SummaryItemBaseByle-fFbXkY cgDBtc summary-em__byle"><div class="summary-em__byle__ntent"><div data-ttid="BylWrapper" class="BylWrapper-KIudk irTIfE byl"><p class="ByleWrapper-jWHrLH dSEWiO byle byl__byle" data-ttid="ByleWrapper" emProp="thor" emType="><span emProp="name" class="ByleNamWrapper-jbHncj fuDQVo"><span data-ttid="ByleName" class="ByleName-kwmrLn cYaBaU byle__name"><span class="BaseWrap-sc-gjQpdd BaseText-ewhhUZ BylePreamble-iJolpQ iUEiRd jslZfG gnILss byle__preamble">By </span>Adam Gopnik</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="AdWrapper-dQtivb fZrssQ SummaryCollectnGridSummaryItem-WColm dqlGhv ad ad--read-more"><div class="ad__slot ad__slot--read-more" data-no-id="1mhr9w"></div></div></div><div class="SummaryCollectnGridToActnWrapper-gnReGN eGayfk"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="RowWrapper-UmqTg HEhan"><div 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PETER THIEL MAK HISTORY AT RNC: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'

PETER THIEL IS TOTALLY GAY, PEOPLE

BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM IS PETER THEIL GAY

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PETER THIEL MAK HISTORY AT RNC: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'

PETER THIEL IS TOTALLY GAY, PEOPLE

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* IS PETER THEIL GAY

BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM IS PETER THEIL GAY