Eric Weinstein is an American mathematician, economist, and media personality who served as managing director of [[Peter Thiel]]'s investment firm Thiel Capital. He holds a PhD in mathematical physics from Harvard and has worked across finance and technology. He is the brother of evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein, who became a prominent figure in heterodox media circles after the 2017 Evergreen State College controversy. Weinstein is credited with coining the term "[[Intellectual Dark Web]]" in a 2018 conversation published by the New York Times, describing a loose network of commentators who positioned themselves as heterodox thinkers marginalized by mainstream institutions. The group included figures such as Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, and his brother Bret. The framing cast these media personalities as courageous dissidents, though critics noted most had substantial platforms and audiences. He hosts The Portal, a podcast featuring long-form interviews on science, economics, and culture. Weinstein has advanced his own theoretical physics framework, which he calls Geometric Unity, though it has not gained traction within the academic physics community. His public profile represents the intersection of Silicon Valley capital, heterodox intellectual branding, and the podcast ecosystem that has become a major distribution channel for anti-establishment commentary.