PLACE OF BIRTH: FRANKFURT, GERMANY
TITLE: COFOUNDER, PAYPAL; CHAIRMAN, PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES; BOARD MEMBER, FACEBOOK
IMPACT: PETER THIEL, WHO MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES FROM WEST GERMANY as a toddler, is best known for cofounding PayPal and being the first outside investor in Facebook. His $500,000 loan turned into an equity stake—Thiel sold the majority of his shares for more than $1 billion after Facebook went public but retained a seat on the board. Though that high-profile investment was made in 2004, Thiel remains an influential figure in Silicon Valley today. He’s the don of the so-called PayPal Mafia, cofounded VC firm the Founders Fund, is cofounder and chairman of big-data firm Palantir Technologies and has made investments in longevity projects including the SENS Research and Methuselah Foundations. (Thiel has said he plans to live to be 120.) Most recently, Thiel bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media, which ultimately catapulted the company into bankruptcy
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