# Peter Thiel Timeline Biographical chronology of [[Peter Thiel]] — the look-back spine. Distinct from [[Peter Thiel Calendar]] (look-ahead beats) and [[Peter Thiel Events]] (index of discrete event pages). This page narrates the arc; topical chronologies like [[Thiel Political Donations Timeline]] go deeper on their slice. > Dates are as established in the vault and widely-reported public record. Cross-cutting records keep their canonical homes and are linked, not duplicated. ## Origins & PayPal (1967–2002) | Year | Event | |---|---| | 1967 | Born in Frankfurt, West Germany; family emigrates to the US (via South Africa/Namibia) | | 1989–1992 | Stanford (BA philosophy, JD); studies under [[René Girard]]; founds *Stanford Review* | | 1998 | Co-founds Confinity (later PayPal) with [[Max Levchin]] | | 2002 | PayPal sold to eBay ($1.5B); the [[PayPal Mafia]] disperses into a network | ## Building the empire (2003–2014) | Year | Event | |---|---| | 2003 | Co-founds [[Palantir]] with [[Alex Karp]], [[Joe Lonsdale]], [[Stephen Cohen]], [[Nathan Gettings]]; [[In-Q-Tel]] seed — see [[Palantir Founding]] | | 2004 | First outside investor in Facebook ($500K for ~10%) | | 2005 | Founds [[Founders Fund]] with [[Ken Howery]] and Luke Nosek | | 2008–2015 | Funds the [[Seasteading Institute]] — the exit-ideology prototype | | 2010–2012 | Co-founds [[Valar Ventures]] (2010) and [[Mithril Capital]] (2012, with [[Ajay Royan]]) | | 2011 | Obtains New Zealand citizenship; launches the [[Thiel Fellowship]] | | 2012 | Libertarian donor phase peaks: [[Endorse Liberty]] (pro–[[Ron Paul]]) | | 2014 | Publishes *[[Zero to One]]* (with [[Blake Masters]]) | ## Political pivot & kingmaking (2016–2022) | Year | Event | |---|---| | 2016 | Backs Trump ($1.25M); prime-time Republican National Convention speech; reportedly aids the Gawker takedown via [[Aron D'Souza]] | | 2016 | Hulk Hogan/Gawker verdict ($140M); Gawker bankrupted | | 2022 | Kingmaker cycle: ~$35M+ across ~16 races; [[Protect Ohio Values PAC]] ([[JD Vance]]) + [[Saving Arizona PAC]] ([[Blake Masters]]) — see [[Peter Thiel Political Donations]] | ## Network in power (2025–2026) | Date | Event | |---|---| | Jan 2025 | [[JD Vance]] VP; [[David Sacks]] AI/Crypto Czar; 17+ Thiel-tied figures placed across the administration | | late 2025 | Exits California ahead of the Jan 1, 2026 wealth-tax residency deadline — see [[Thiel California Wealth Tax Donation]] | | Apr 2026 | Rome "Antichrist" lectures; "Objection" AI-judge startup launches; [[Thiel Argentina Move]] ($12M Buenos Aires mansion, [[Javier Milei]] meeting) | | May 1, 2026 | [[Founders Fund]] Growth IV closes at $6B — largest fund in firm history (~25% GP commit) | | May 4, 2026 | Personally leads [[Panthalassa]]'s $140M Series B (ocean data centers) | | Jun 2026 | [[Dialog Society]] membership leak (WIRED) | | Jun 12, 2026 | [[SpaceX]] IPO marks the [[Founders Fund]] position at $50B+ — the single largest realization in the Thiel ledger | ## See Also - [[Peter Thiel]] — canonical biography - [[Peter Thiel Calendar]] — look-ahead beats - [[Peter Thiel Events]] — discrete-events index - [[Thiel Political Donations Timeline]] — the donations slice in depth - [[Peter Thiel Dossier]]