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Peter Thiel

All articles tagged with #peter thiel

Thiel Acquires Bel-Air’s Casa Encantada in $130M Foreclosure Deal

Peter Thiel has been identified as the secret buyer of the historic Bel-Air estate Casa Encantada, which sold for $130 million in a July foreclosure auction. The 1938 mansion, previously owned by telecom mogul Gary Winnick, is the most expensive home sale in Los Angeles this year. Thiel, who does not plan to reside there, views the property as an investment to be upgraded, adding it to a global real estate portfolio that includes homes in Miami, Washington DC, and Buenos Aires.

via The Guardian|

#bel-air #casa-encantada #foreclosure

energy-and-technology12 days ago•12 min saved

General Matter Aims to Revive U.S. Nuclear Enrichment Using SpaceX Methodology

General Matter, a startup led by former SpaceX employee Scott Nolan, is attempting to revive the U.S. nuclear enrichment industry by applying agile startup principles to a traditionally slow, government-regulated sector. The company has secured $900 million in federal funding and aims to double domestic production of enriched uranium by 2029, reducing reliance on Russian imports. While supporters praise its speed and bipartisan backing, critics worry that prioritizing rapid deployment over established safety cultures could compromise nuclear security.

via politico.com|

#energy-and-technology #general-matter #nuclear-power

technology-and-policy15 days ago•2 min saved

Thiel Accuses Pope Leo XIV of Serving Beijing’s AI Interests Through Regulation Calls

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel criticized Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical on artificial intelligence, arguing that calls for global AI regulation inadvertently benefit the Chinese Communist Party by slowing Western innovation while China continues to advance. Thiel, who co-founded PayPal and Palantir and invests in major AI firms, stated that the Vatican’s stance acts as a 'useful idiot' for Beijing, potentially leading the U.S. and its allies to impose restrictive rules that hinder their competitive edge. This critique emerged just before President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were scheduled to meet in Washington to discuss AI risks and potential cooperation. Thiel’s comments reflect his broader opposition to technology regulation, including previous comparisons of AI safety advocates to 'the Antichrist.' The Vatican did not immediately respond to the criticism.

via Politico|

#ai-regulation #china-us-relations #founders-fund

technology-and-urban-development17 days ago•3 min saved

Praxis CEO Dryden Brown to Launch AI-Driven City in Uruguay by 2027

Dryden Brown, the 30-year-old CEO of Praxis, is developing an AI-powered city in Uruguay with initial residents expected in mid-2027. The project, backed by investors including a fund associated with Peter Thiel, aims to explore societal structures in the age of artificial general intelligence. Brown plans to meet with Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi this week to discuss the initiative, which will be built within the +Colonia development near Colonia del Sacramento. While Brown previously advocated for a self-governing city-state, he has agreed to comply with Uruguayan law for the initial phase. The company intends to mobilize $1 billion in investment over three years, using home sales to fund cultural and artistic endeavors inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.

via New York Post|

#artificial-intelligence #peter-thiel #praxis

technology1 month ago•19 min saved

Thiel-backed Covenant to mass-produce low-cost long-range missiles

Covenant, the defense startup backed by Peter Thiel, says it will produce Anthem, a heavy-payload long-range cruise missile, quickly and at low cost to help address a U.S. weapons shortage. The company has about $150 million in orders for deliveries starting in 2027 and is expanding with a 105,000-square-foot Dallas plant, plus planned facilities in Germany and Israel.

via The Washington Post|

#aerospace-and-defense-industry #covenant #military-and-defense

aerospace-and-defence1 month ago•7 min saved

Thiel-backed Covenant to mass-produce Anthem deep-strike missiles in US, Europe and Israel

A US-Israeli defence startup enabled by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund plans to build three factories in Dallas (US), Leipzig (Germany) and Israel to mass-produce the Anthem long-range “deep strike” munition. Covenant aims to produce about 1,000 Anthem missiles per year at each site by 2027 and 5,000 per site from 2028, with each missile priced in the mid six figures of euros. Marketed as a cheaper alternative to Tomahawks, Anthem is designed to deter threats from Russia, China and Iran and to saturate targets with high volume fire. The company has already conducted more than 200 trials and has secured initial US government contracts for testing and a maritime version. Germany is considering procurement, and Covenant emphasizes a European-focused supply chain, while keeping some details like range and classification (cruise missile vs deep-strike munition) confidential. Covenant has raised roughly $250 million and is valued at over $1 billion, backed by a slate of VC firms including Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, Altimeter, Lightspeed and Lux Capital.

via Financial Times|

#aerospace-and-defence #anthem-missiles #covenant

world1 month ago•3 min saved

Peter Thiel in Argentina: hedge against conflict or blueprint for techno-libertarian reform?

Protests outside Peter Thiel’s Buenos Aires home shadow a six-hour congressional debate over Milei’s tech-friendly reforms, including a super RIGI investment regime with a 30-year regulatory guarantee for foreign firms and proposals to share vast data with state intelligence. Critics see these moves as aligned with Thiel’s libertarian tech interests and Palantir contracts, though Thiel has not publicly endorsed the laws and has only held private talks with Milei aides. The article portrays Argentina as a potential testing ground for libertarian tech policy and AI-led governance.

via The Guardian|

#ai-regulation #argentina #milei

technology3 months ago•6 min saved

Thiel links AI race to pope’s regulation push, foresees a Democratic takeover

At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Peter Thiel warned of a Western AI race with China, accused Pope Leo XIV of unintentionally aiding Chinese interests by calling for global AI oversight, and predicted a democratic-socialist takeover of the Democratic Party. He defended Palantir’s independence from the US deep state and contrasted Western institutions with Europe’s bureaucracy as he discussed the future of AI and democracy.

via CNN|

#ai-regulation #aspen-ideas-festival #democratic-socialist-takeover

politics3 months ago•67 min saved

Tech Billionaires Align with Trump: A MAGA-Politics Confluence

The Daily Beast’s Jonathan Weber argues that Trump’s rise has pulled fringe tech figures—Thiel, Sacks, and Zuckerberg—into the corridors of power, turning their long-standing business and ideological ambitions into political influence. Thiel and Sacks have been early Trump allies, with Sacks serving as AI/Crypto adviser and Thiel a PayPal Mafia figure, while Zuckerberg has been labeled “MAGA Mark” as he shifts to align with Trump’s political clout. The piece frames this as a broader trend of tech oligarchs leveraging political power to benefit their influence and profits.

via The Daily Beast|

#david-sacks #maga #mark-zuckerberg

entertainment3 months ago•19 min saved

Levitt and Bush Refute Knowing Peter Thiel After Dialog Conference List Leak

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Sophia Bush pushed back on being tied to Peter Thiel by a leaked Dialog conference attendee list, stating they do not know Thiel and have never met him. Levitt confirmed attending two Dialog conferences but said he has no connection to Thiel, while Bush emphasized her focus on discussing tech-related issues and protecting rights, noting Thiel was not present at the events. Dialog is an invite-only tech forum founded by Thiel and others, and the leak also linked a broader cast of prominent figures to the conference.

via Deadline|

#deepfake #dialog-conference #entertainment

sports4 months ago•2 min saved

Las Vegas Set for Trump-Backed Enhanced Games, Where PEDs Are Permitted

Las Vegas will host the Enhanced Games, a controversial inaugural event where competitors may use performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision; backed by Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital and Peter Thiel, the venture also plans to sell enhancement products like peptides, despite criticism from WADA and the IOC. The event features Olympic medalists and aims to draw a large audience, with participants including Fred Kerley, James Magnussen, and Cody Miller.

via CNBC|

#doping #enhanced-games #las-vegas

media5 months ago•38 min saved

Gawker’s Rise, Fall, and the Billionaire-Backed Fallout That Redefined Online Media

The Hollywood Reporter revisits Gawker’s explosive run, detailing how Nick Denton built a fearless blog that helped shape modern online journalism, then watched it collapse after billionaire-backed lawsuits—most notably Peter Thiel’s funding of Hulk Hogan’s invasion-of-privacy case—led to bankruptcy and the sale of its assets; the piece also follows former staffers who parlayed that experience into Hollywood and major outlets, underscoring how billionaire influence and aggressive digital culture continue to shape today’s media landscape.

via The Hollywood Reporter|

#digital-media #gawker #hogan-lawsuit

entertainment7 months ago•51 min saved

Gwen Stefani's Hallow Pivot Sparks Backlash Over Catholic Messaging

Gwen Stefani has been promoting the Catholic prayer app Hallow—backed by Peter Thiel and JD Vance—and discussed deepening her Catholic faith on a podcast, a move that has drawn backlash over the app’s anti-abortion messaging, its pay-to-pray model, and the platforming of controversial figures.

via BuzzFeed|

#backlash #christian-messaging #entertainment

business7 months ago•8 min saved

Thiel Liquidates $74 Million AI Bets, Sparking Caution on Wall Street

Peter Thiel disclosed in his fourth-quarter 2025 13F that he sold about $74 million of key tech holdings (including Tesla, Microsoft, and Apple) via Thiel Macro, signaling a cautious stance on near-term AI/tech momentum. The move has investors weighing whether to imitate billionaire trades, but the article cautions against blind emulation, noting that long-term prospects for quality AI names remain and that valuations have cooled, potentially creating new buying opportunities.

via The Motley Fool|

#ai #business #investing

technology7 months ago•14 min saved

Discord’s Age Check Trial Sparks Palantir Ties and Privacy Fears

As part of preparing for the UK Online Safety Act, Discord is testing global age-verification via the Persona service, with some users already prompted ahead of a March rollout. Persona is backed by Founders Fund, whose ties to Peter Thiel and Palantir have drawn privacy concerns about surveillance and data use. Discord describes the test as limited and says any collected data will be stored for seven days, though the broader long‑term use remains unclear.

via Kotaku|

#age-verification #discord #palantir