### Biography of Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel is a prominent entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political donor, known for co-founding PayPal and his early investment in Facebook, among other significant business ventures. He has also made headlines for his political contributions and his support of unconventional causes.
#### 1. Early Life
Peter Andreas Thiel was born on October 11, 1967, in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany. His family moved to the United States when he was a toddler, and he grew up in Foster City, California. Thiel excelled academically from a young age. He attended San Mateo High School, where he developed a keen interest in chess, becoming a US-rated Chess Master.
Thiel proceeded to study philosophy at Stanford University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1989. He continued at Stanford to earn a Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law in 1992. During his time at Stanford, Thiel founded The Stanford Review, a conservative and libertarian newspaper, which remains in publication today.
#### 2. Career
After graduating from Stanford Law School, Thiel briefly worked as a judicial clerk for Judge James Larry Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He then spent a few years as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader in New York City. In 1996, Thiel returned to California and founded Thiel Capital Management, a multi-strategy fund.
Thiel's entrepreneurial career took off in 1998 when he co-founded PayPal with
Max-Levchin and others. As CEO, Thiel led PayPal through a successful IPO in 2002 and its subsequent sale to eBay for $1.5 billion later that year. Following PayPal, Thiel founded Clarium Capital, a global macro hedge fund. He also created Palantir Technologies in 2004, a company focused on big data analytics.
In 2005, he launched Founders Fund, a venture capital fund that has made lucrative investments in numerous successful startups, including SpaceX, LinkedIn, and Yelp. Perhaps most notably, Thiel made a $500,000 angel investment in Facebook in 2004 for a 10.2% stake and joined Facebook's board, a position he held until 2020.
#### 3. Notable Achievements
- **PayPal**: Co-founding and leading PayPal, which revolutionized digital payments, remains one of Thiel's crowning achievements.
- **Facebook Investment**: Thiel's early investment in Facebook and his role as its first outside investor and board member significantly impacted the tech landscape.
- **Palantir Technologies**: Under Thiel's guidance, Palantir grew into a major player in the software and data analysis sector, working extensively with government agencies and private entities.
- **Founders Fund and Investment Success**: Thiel's venture capital firm has been pivotal in funding and supporting groundbreaking technology startups.
- **Political Influence**: Thiel has played a significant role in U.S. politics, notably supporting
Donald-Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, highlighting his influence beyond the tech and financial sectors.
#### 4. Personal Life
Peter Thiel is openly gay and married his long-time partner,
Matt-Danzico, in 2017. Despite his high-profile status in the tech world, Thiel tends to keep his personal life private. He has been known for his libertarian views, which have influenced both his political donations and his business decisions, including the creation of the Seasteading Institute, which looks at building autonomous, floating cities in international waters.
Thiel has also been involved in various philanthropic activities through the Thiel Foundation, which supports scientific research, libertarian causes, and young entrepreneurs through initiatives like the Thiel Fellowship.
Peter Thiel's life and career are marked by a consistent pattern of bold moves and forward-thinking investments. His contributions to technology and society are significant, making him one of the most influential figures in the modern tech and venture capital landscapes.