Peter Thiel is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist born on October 11, 1967, in Frankfurt, Germany. He is best known as a co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies and was the first outside investor in Facebook. Thiel has been a significant figure in Silicon Valley, founding and funding numerous tech companies and venture capital firms such as Founders Fund and Clarium Capital. He has a strong libertarian political stance, has supported politicians like Donald Trump, and is involved in philanthropy through the Thiel Foundation. His estimated net worth as of 2025 is around $20.8 billion.