Peter Thiel's brilliant bet
It's time to give Peter Thiel a little credit
Peter Thiel is smarter than you.
That should not be a very controversial statement. Thiel is, after all, one of the most successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. And yet, strangely, few seem open to considering that Thiel's dabbling in politics is smart — that he might actually know best about shoveling big resources, attention, and credibility into a Donald Trump campaign that many of his fellow super-brains despised.
Some say Thiel backed Trump because he's a greedhead, others because he's a fascist. And a few insist that just because he's intelligent doesn't mean he's smart about politics or public policy. But all these different views avoid the easy answer: Thiel was just buying low, earning a stake in politics that will probably pay off bigly.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And indeed, it's already paying off. Trump won. Thiel is reaping the rewards. He might even be tapped to lead Trump's transition efforts.
Naturally, there are reasons to object to Thiel's speculative investment. Trump may be so horrible and risky a bet as a president, with such potentially adverse consequences, that Thiel's investment is morally unsound. But nobody really believes that Thiel's support for Trump has given our president-elect any practical advantages. Thiel probably did not coax many libertarians or Democrats into voting Trump. He wasn't helpful at turning out Trump's base. As for the money, in politics, Thiel's $1.25 million investment was a token sum. So the main argument against Thiel's support for Trump is one that puts seeming on a higher ethical plane than being. Who cares what Thiel "really" thinks or wants? Nothing that involves performing support for Trump, his critics say, could possibly justify that performance.
It is not hard to detect some jealous rage here. Deep down, what people do not like is that Thiel has the luxury of doing whatever he wants regardless of what the haters say. And what they fear as well as loathe is that Thiel has the luxury of building a specific future that they don't. For this reason, they don't want him to be a good guy. It would mean looking up to someone who's free in a way they sense they can never be. So Thiel was pilloried.
He obviously doesn't care what you think, though. Thanks to his brilliant bet on Trump, Thiel has positioned himself well to play a guiding role in a new American politics. Chances are, you haven't. Just because that truth hurts doesn't mean Thiel's influence will hurt too. Given what today's GOP has become, it's all but certain to help.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
James Poulos is a contributing editor at National Affairs and the author of The Art of Being Free, out January 17 from St. Martin's Press. He has written on freedom and the politics of the future for publications ranging from The Federalist to Foreign Policy and from Good to Vice. He fronts the band Night Years in Los Angeles, where he lives with his son.
-
'King's horses take free rein through London'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Labour to renationalise rail within five years
Speed Read State-run rail network will be 'more transparent and clearer' – but not necessarily cheaper
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published