Behind the Bastards Part Three: How Peter Thiel Became the Gravedigger of Democracy
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Nov 5, 2024 Noah Schachman, a contributing writer for Rolling Stone and Wired, dives into the complex legacy of Peter Thiel. They discuss Thiel's vendetta against Gawker after an article questioning his sexuality, and the ethical dilemmas of media outing. The conversation shifts to Thiel’s controversial investments in anti-democratic tech and his peculiar beliefs regarding society's future. Moreover, they examine his failures during the 2008 financial crisis and how Palantir's surveillance technologies reflect troubling moral choices.
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Gawker Outs Thiel
- Gawker's Valleywag outed Peter Thiel in 2007.
- Their reporting style was considered unprofessional and catty, even by Robert Evans.
Thiel's Real Grievance
- Thiel's anger stemmed from a line questioning his paranoia about his sexuality.
- He felt it implied psychological issues, not necessarily the outing itself.
Thiel's Justification
- Thiel reportedly felt that Gawker punished individuality and weirdness.
- This contrasts with his own past actions at Stanford.