Contrarian

Viac o knihe

This biography explores the life of venture capitalist and entrepreneur Peter Thiel, a significant yet enigmatic figure at the crossroads of technology, business, and politics. Since the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, few have influenced Silicon Valley as profoundly as Thiel. His impact spans from everyday technologies to the intricate dynamics between Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and Washington. Despite his extensive influence, Thiel remains a mysterious public figure. Max Chafkin delves into Thiel's unique life and perspective, tracing his journey from his immigrant upbringing and years at Stanford, where he emerged as a conservative thought leader, to founding PayPal and Palantir. The biography also highlights his early investments in Facebook and SpaceX, as well as his relationships with tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Eric Schmidt. Thiel's efforts to extend his values beyond Silicon Valley are examined, including his funding of the lawsuit that led to Gawker's bankruptcy and his support for far-right political candidates, notably Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. This eye-opening and thoroughly reported account provides a revealing look at a distinctive leader and offers an incisive portrait of a tech industry marked by both remarkable growth and significant controversy.