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Thiel

Short answer: Peter Thiel, born in 1967 in Frankfurt, West Germany, is a German-American entrepreneur and investor.

He co-founded PayPal and was its CEO until eBay acquired it in 2002, made a $500,000 investment as Facebook's first outside investor in 2004, later selling most of his stake for over $1 billion, and co-founded Palantir Technologies in 2003. He is also active in politics, the Reel notes. The footage, credited to Big Think, shows Thiel speaking.

VideoWrite-up1 sources
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What should you know about Thiel?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. 1967, Frankfurt.

    DD-554-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit A (Born)

  2. Co-founder, CEO.

    DD-554-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit B (PayPal)

Video transcript: Thiel: Peter Thiel Was Facebook's First Outside Investor

Did you know? Peter Thiel is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist. Born in 1967 in Frankfurt, Germany, he co-founded PayPal in 1998, serving as CEO until its acquisition by eBay in 2002. Thiel was the first outside investor in Facebook, providing a $500,000 investment in 2004, which he later sold for over $1 billion. He also co-founded Palantir Technologies in 2003, a data analytics firm serving both government and commercial clients. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 27.4s Reel ·

Video coming soonThiel · Instagram Reel
Thiel: Peter Thiel Was Facebook's First Outside Investor Instagram Reel · · 27.4s

The write-up

Peter Thiel was Facebook's first outside investor. He put in $500,000 in 2004.

  1. Exhibit A

    Born

    1967, Frankfurt.

  2. Exhibit B

    PayPal

    Co-founder, CEO.

  3. Exhibit C

    eBay

    Acquired 2002.

  4. Exhibit D

    Facebook

    $500,000 in 2004.

  5. Exhibit E

    Palantir

    Co-founded 2003.

Questions people ask about Thiel

Birthplace?

Germany.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Born) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

Co-founded?

Payments.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (PayPal) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

Facebook stake?

2004.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (eBay) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

Palantir founded?

Data.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Facebook) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

Who bought PayPal?

2002.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Palantir) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. Birthplace?

    1. Frankfurt
    2. Berlin
    3. New York
    4. Paris
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Frankfurt Germany. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Born) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

  2. Co-founded?

    1. PayPal
    2. Google
    3. Amazon
    4. Apple
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. PayPal Payments. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (PayPal) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

  3. Facebook stake?

    1. $500,000
    2. $5 million
    3. $50
    4. $1 billion
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. $500,000 2004. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (eBay) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

  4. Palantir founded?

    1. 2003
    2. 1998
    3. 2010
    4. 2015
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. 2003 Data. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Facebook) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

  5. Who bought PayPal?

    1. eBay
    2. Google
    3. Microsoft
    4. Amazon
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. eBay 2002. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Palantir) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Thiel." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-554, last updated Apr 25, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/thiel/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/thiel/ · Last updated

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