Big tech billionaire Peter Thiel is resigning from his position on the board of Meta to support Republican Party causes and candidates, or what mainstream media described as the “Donald Trump agenda”.
‘Conservative Provocateur’
54-year-old Thiel has been famous not only for his right-wing views and unequivocal support for President Trump, but also for becoming the first outside investor in Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook back in 2004-2005.
Thiel has been a director at Facebook since 2005 and a close adviser to Zuckerberg for close to two decades now.
He will be stepping down from the board of Meta Platforms Inc. after the company’s yearly shareholder meeting in May, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The report cites a source close to Thiel saying the tech billionaire doesn’t wish to be “a distraction” for Meta (Facebook) because of his political activities.
Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg issued a statement on Peter Thiel’s upcoming departure; he praised the investor as being able to solve even the “hardest problems.”
Well lookie here.
Peter Thiel, finally, is stepping down from the board of Facebook. pic.twitter.com/XNj20vwLoQ
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) February 7, 2022
BREAKING REPORT: Billionaire Peter Thiel to Step Down from Facebook Board to SUPPORT TRUMP-ALIGNED Candidates in 2022…
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) February 7, 2022
In 2016, Thiel was a major donor to the Trump campaign; he also addressed the Republican National Convention on behalf of the future president.
The Big Tech billionaire then joined the Trump transition team after the victory in the 2016 presidential election.
Thiel also helped the Trump administration by nominating some of its officials, such as Michael Kratsios, who served as the White House’s chief technology officer.
In 2019, Thiel was hosted together with Zuckerberg by President Trump for a dinner at the White House.
hot take that's probably true: Peter Thiel finally relinquishing his Facebook board seat suggests he thinks Facebook's influence over politics and culture is on the wane for good
— Jeff Bercovici (@jeffbercovici) February 7, 2022
Actively Backing Two GOP Hopefuls for US Senate
Peter Thiel is the co-founder and chairman of Palantir Technologies, a company selling software and helping the US government find terrorists.
Back in October 2016, there were tensions among Facebook employees over Peter Thiel’s backing of Trump.
Zuckerberg issued an internal message, defending his outside investor by arguing there is no way to have a culture of “diversity” if that “excludes almost half the country” because of politics.
Recently, the tech billionaire hasn’t made public comments in favor of Trump. However, Thiel is known to be actively backing other Republican candidates for office, such as JD Vance and Blake Masters, both of whom are now running for the US Senate.
JD Vance, who is hoping to become a US senator from Ohio, is supported by a super PAC, to which Thiel donated more than $10 million.
Prior to his candidacy, Vance, who is known for authoring the book “Hillbilly Elegy”, a bestselling memoir, had a venture capital firm backed by Thiel.
Blake Masters, Thiel’s other favorite for the US Senate, has been a close aide of his. He presently manages Thiel Capital, the billionaire’s investment firm. The two of them also co-wrote the book “Zero to One.”
Peter Thiel leaves the board of Meta as a winner. He identified Facebook’s potential early on and watched it grow into one of the world’s most influential companies. Politics aside, his stepping away now suggests that he knows Meta is likely beyond repair. pic.twitter.com/ie2YKjXCgG
— The Thielist (@TheThielist) February 7, 2022
What a bunch of lowlifes. Makes following her into a public restroom seem high-minded and edifying in comparison. Where’s Peter Thiel when you need him? https://t.co/pNPBZGgkJ3
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) February 7, 2022
