Peter Thiel

President, Clarium Capital Management

Peter Thiel is an American entrepreneur, hedge fund manager and venture capitalist. He is Clarium’s President and the Chairman of the firm’s investment committee, which oversees the firm’s research, investment, and trading strategies. Before starting Clarium, Peter served as Chairman and CEO of PayPal, an Internet company he co-founded in December 1998 and was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in October 2002.

Prior to founding PayPal, Peter ran Thiel Capital Management , the predecessor to Clarium, which started with $1 million under management in 1996. Peter began his financial career as a derivatives trader at CS Financial Products, after practicing securities law at Sullivan & Cromwell.

In addition to managing Clarium, Peter is active in a variety of philanthropic and educational pursuits; he sits on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Research Institute, the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School, and is an adviser to the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Peter received a BA in Philosophy from Stanford University and a JD from Stanford Law School. He is self-described libertarian and a minority investor in Big Think.

Everything Videos Articles

Peter Thiel on the 25-year history of economic bubbles

Peter Thiel provides full context for the current economic crisis.

What is the world’s biggest challenge in the coming decade?

There is a serious, on-going energy problem that for a whole slew of reasons people are not aware of.

Peter Thiel on Tax Fairness

When marginal tax rights are higher in the U.S. than in other countries, the U.S. is set at an increasing competitive disadvantage in this country vis-a-vis other countries.

What is your question?

What can be done that makes sense in the broad context of this extraordinary world in the next 20, 30, 40 years?

What are the risks of centralizing information?

Although people’s lives become more transparent, there is more transparency into the government or into other institutions as well.

Where is technology headed?

Invest in people; it’s too hard to figure out big picture thematic things about what technology is going to be.

What is America’s place in the world?

The U.S. will be in a more competitive situation with other countries than it has been for a very long time.

What is human nature?

There’s a lot of potential for both very good and very bad things in people.

How is technology changing the way we live?

Although here are elements of technology that are actually centralizing, essentially technology is decentralizing society.

Does globalization widen the income gap?

It’s not at all clear, Thiel says, that income disparities are growing globally.

What is the government’s role in public education?

We should be experimenting to find a better way of educating our kids.

What do you do?

With a background both in technology and finance, Thiel founded the global payment system Paypal.

Why Peter Thiel is a Libertarian

PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel defends free markets and social liberalism.

What is your vision for an ideal state?

A government that spends 10 to 15 percent of its GDP while building institutions to protect people and property.

Is healthcare a public good?

Health care is too much of a public good to be left to incompetent government programs.

The co-founder and CEO of PayPal, Thiel is currently the President of Clarium Capital Management.

What is your outlook?

Peter Thiel predicts 30 years of chaos and turmoil followed by a period of unimaginable flourishing and prosperity.

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