The Man Who’s Everywhere: 7 Peter Thiel Companies

Key Takeaways

• Peter Thiel is a powerful but low-profile figure in tech and politics, with significant investments in major companies like Palantir, PayPal, Meta, and OpenAI.
• Thiel’s investments and political affiliations have positioned him as a key behind-the-scenes player in the U.S. government. 
• His network extends deep into the White House, with key allies like JD Vance and David Sacks holding influential roles in Trump’s administration.
• As of 2025, Thiel’s net worth exceeds $20 billion, fueled by his early exits from PayPal and Facebook and ongoing tech investments.

Peter Thiel has long been a shadowy yet dominant figure in the tech world, wielding influence across a vast network of companies that are shaping the modern digital landscape. While he is less outspoken than figures like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, his strategic investments and political connections make him one of the most powerful individuals in technology and politics. 

Thiel was an early backer of Donald Trump in 2016 and remains closely aligned with figures like Vice President JD Vance. More recently, despite a publicized fallout with Trump, he is rumored to have indirect ties to the DOGE government takeover.

To truly grasp Thiel’s influence, one must examine his investments and affiliations. In this article, we’ll explore the major tech companies in which Peter Thiel has played a crucial role, either as an investor, founder, or board member.

1. Palantir Technologies (PLTR) – Co-Founder, Largest Shareholder

• CEO: Alex Karp
• Industry: Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence

Palantir has hit headlines recently for its meteoric stock prices, but the company has a legacy spanning more than two decades – and is one of Peter Thiel’s most influential companies. Founded in 2003 by Thiel, Stephen Cohen, Joe Lonsdale, and Alex Karp, Palantir specializes in data analytics. It develops AI-driven intelligence platforms used by governments, law enforcement, and corporations. 

Palantir has deep ties to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, making it a key player in national security. To this day, Thiel remains the largest shareholder of Palantir. As a result of his close relationship with government officials, Palantir has secured multi-billion-dollar contracts with agencies like the Pentagon, ICE, and the NSA. 

Most recently, Palantir has seen a stock surge due to its advancements in AI, positioning it as a leader in military-grade artificial intelligence. At the time of writing, Palantir’s evaluation stands at $273 billion.

2. PayPal (PYPL) – Co-Founder, Former CEO

• CEO: Alex Chriss
• Industry: Financial Technology

But before Palantir, Peter Thiel played another crucial role by co-founding PayPal in 1998 alongside Max Levchin and Elon Musk. The company would revolutionize online payments, ultimately leading to its acquisition by eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002. Thiel’s early fortune was built on this exit, thus becoming seed capital for his next ventures.

Although Thiel is no longer involved with PayPal, his connections to the so-called “PayPal Mafia” (a group of early PayPal employees, including Elon Musk and Reid Hoffman) continue to shape Silicon Valley. Even more than two decades later, PayPal remains a dominant force in fintech, despite growing competition from newer platforms like Stripe and Block (formerly Square).

3. Meta (META) – Early Investor, Former Board Member

• CEO: Mark Zuckerberg
• Industry: Social Media & Advertising

Aside from his own ventures, Peter Thiel seems to have a nose for successful startups. He was the first outside investor in Facebook (now Meta), purchasing a 10.2% stake for $500,000 in 2004. He later served on Meta’s board for 17 years before stepping down in 2022.

While Thiel no longer holds an official position at Meta, his influence remains visible. Meta’s recent removal of fact-checkers was a pivot toward Trump-friendly policies. Furthermore, Zuckerberg’s appearance at Trump’s inauguration suggests that Thiel’s libertarian-leaning ideology continues to shape the platform’s direction.

4. OpenAI – Early Investor

• CEO: Sam Altman
• Industry: Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI, co-founded by Sam Altman and Elon Musk, has become a leader in artificial intelligence through the development of ChatGPT and DALL·E. Thiel invested in OpenAI in its early days, viewing AI as a key frontier in tech warfare. After all, he was already a believer in AI through Palantir.

Though Thiel is not actively involved today, his early backing helped shape OpenAI’s development. Lastly, with Sam Altman shifting OpenAI toward a more corporate, profit-driven model, Thiel may decide to invest in some of the competing AI ventures.

5. Stripe – Early Investor

• CEO: Patrick Collison
• Industry: Financial Technology

Stripe, founded in 2010 by Patrick and John Collison, is one of the most valuable private fintech companies in the world. Thiel was an early investor through his venture firm Founders Fund, helping Stripe grow into a global payment processing giant.

Stripe’s dominance in digital payments makes it a direct competitor to PayPal, another Thiel-founded company. With rumors of an impending IPO, Stripe could further solidify its place as the next-generation leader in fintech.

6. Anduril Industries – Investor

• CEO: Brian Schimpf
• Industry: Military AI & Autonomous Defense

Founded by Palmer Luckey (co-founder of Oculus), Anduril specializes in autonomous military drones and AI-driven defense systems. Most recently, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund was in talks with the company. According to reports, Thiel’s company is set to lead an Anduril funding round with $2.5 billion. The tech entrepreneur might be seeing Anduril as a modernized alternative to traditional defense contractors.

Thanks to the increasing U.S. military spending on AI-driven defense, Anduril has already secured massive Pentagon contracts. Finally, this reinforces Thiel’s deep ties to the military-industrial complex.

7. Rumble (RUM) – Investor

• CEO: Chris Pavlovski
• Industry: Social Media & Video Hosting

The last company on our list is Rumble. Founded in 2013 by Chris Pavlovski, the social media and video platform has positioned itself as a conservative alternative to YouTube. It attracted the likes of Donald Trump and JD Vance, figures Thiel already had a connection with. In 2021, Peter Thiel invested in the platform along with Narya Capital and Colt Ventures.

In 2022, the company went public, after a SPAC deal. Thiel’s investment in Rumble aligns with his ideological pushback against Big Tech censorship. Furthermore, it cements his influence in conservative media spaces.

Organizations Founded by Peter Thiel

The examples above give us a good idea of the diverse investments made by Peter Thiel. When it comes to organization founded, Peter Thiel’s main focus seems to be management funds and technology:

PayPal (1998)

One of the most famous online payments companies that transformed digital financial transactions. Initially founded as Confinity, it later merged with X.com (Elon Musk’s online banking startup) and became the dominant global digital payments platform before being acquired by eBay in 2002.

Clarium Capital (2002)

A global macro hedge fund managing investments based on economic trends and geopolitical events. While the fund managed roughly $8 billion in assets in 2008, it later suffered major losses, shrinking down to $350 million in 2011. Clarium shut down in 2013.

Palantir Technologies (2003)

Palantir is a data analytics and intelligence firm specializing in big data processing for governments, military agencies, and corporations. Palantir’s software is widely used in counterterrorism, fraud detection, and enterprise data analysis. Today it has a market cap of $193 billion.

Founders Fund (2005)

A venture capital firm that invests in innovative and disruptive technology startups. Founded by Peter Thiel, Ken Howery, and Luke Nosek, it has backed major companies like SpaceX, Airbnb, Stripe, and Facebook, focusing on long-term, high-risk investments.

The Thiel Foundation (2006)

A nonprofit organization that funds projects in science, technology, and libertarian causes. For example, it has supported initiatives like the Seasteading Institute (exploring floating cities) and the Breakout Labs (supporting radical scientific research).

Valar Ventures (2010)

A venture capital firm specializing in funding international startups, particularly in fintech and financial services. Some examples include companies like Wise (formerly TransferWise) and N26.

The Thiel Fellowship (2011)

A controversial yet influential program that grants $100,000 to young entrepreneurs under 22 to drop out of college and focus on building their own startups. The goal of the fellowship is to accelerate innovation but competition is tough with only 20-25 recipients per year.

Mithril Capital (2012)

Mithril is a growth-stage venture capital firm that invests in long-term technology innovations. It focuses on deep tech, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure development.

Peter Thiel’s Whitehouse Connections

Thiel’s networking power is becoming a political influence, as several of his allies have taken key roles in Trump’s administration.

JD Vance – U.S. Senator, U.S. Vice President

Thiel backed JD Vance’s Ohio Senate race with $15 million in funding, helping to propel him into the national spotlight as a rising star in the Republican Party. Since winning his Senate seat in 2022, Vance has become one of Trump’s closest political allies, frequently defending the former president and aligning himself with populist and nationalist policies. 

With Trump taking his place as the 47th U.S. President, JD Vance was picked as Vice President. Vance cements Thiel’s indirect influence in shaping White House policy and further entrenches Silicon Valley’s role in right-wing politics.

David Sacks – AI and Crypto Tzar under Trump

A fellow PayPal Mafia member, Sacks has emerged as a major voice in Trump’s economic and technology policies, particularly in AI governance, crypto regulation, and Big Tech censorship debates. He has used his influence in Silicon Valley to bridge the gap between Trump’s populist movement and the tech elite, advocating for a more business-friendly regulatory environment. 

Sacks played a key role in organizing a high-profile Trump fundraiser in 2024, which brought together major tech investors and venture capitalists. He is a critical behind-the-scenes operator in shaping Trump’s approach to tech policy and the economy and he certainly has close ties with Thiel.

Stephen Miller – White House Deputy Chief of Staff

Stephen Miller, who is a major force behind Trump’s strict immigration policies, has longstanding ties to Thiel through their shared nationalist and populist ideologies. As one of the chief architects of Trump’s border policies, Miller has pushed for mass deportations, strict visa regulations, and the expansion of detention centers. 

Thiel, whose political donations have backed hard-right policy groups, has funded organizations that Miller later advised, strengthening their alignment on immigration and national security. While Miller does not have a direct corporate connection to Thiel, their ideological overlap and financial ties indicate a deep mutual influence on conservative policymaking.

How Much Is Peter Thiel Worth?

As of 2025, Peter Thiel’s net worth is estimated to be more than $20 billion. This is the result of his early PayPal exit, Facebook stake, and the other ongoing tech investments we’ve mentioned above. His venture capital firm, Founders Fund, continues to make high-profile bets on emerging technology, managing over $12 billion in assets in 2023.

Closing Thoughts

Peter Thiel is often overlooked compared to more public tech figures, but his influence is undeniable. From big data to artificial intelligence, defense tech, social media, and political power, his network stretches across industries. Finally, with close ties to the White House in 2025, Thiel remains a force shaping the future of technology and policy, ensuring that his legacy will endure far beyond Silicon Valley.

About the author

Tasho Tashev

Tasho is a passionate enthusiast of all things blockchain, Web3 and cryptocurrency. With a keen interest in the cutting-edge intersection of technology and entertainment, he loves sharing stories that inform and inspire.

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