When we heard of Starbucks pro-LGBT stances, Apple's Tim Cook coming out, SalesForce going ballistic on Indiana, we all were woo hoo! Big business is supporting us! It's okay to do the opposite, no?
SAN FRANCISCO — Peter Thiel, true to his reputation as the most contrarian soul in Silicon Valley, is doubling down on Donald J. Trump.
The only prominent supporter of the Republican candidate in the high-tech community, Mr. Thiel is making his first donation in support of Mr. Trump’s election. He will give $1.25 million through a combination of super PAC donations and funds given directly to the campaign, a person close to the investor said on Saturday.
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Mr. Thiel, who spoke at the Republican National Convention, apparently is unfazed by the storm around the candidate in the last week following the broadcasting of lewd conversations recorded by the syndicated program “Access Hollywood.” The source, who requested anonymity, said the investor feels the country needs fixing, and Mr. Trump can do it.
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The candidate and Silicon Valley began on a bad note, with Mr. Trump lashing out at Amazon, Apple and other large companies. His position on immigration is the opposite of the tech industry’s, and he has shown little interest in other issues important to entrepreneurs. A meeting this month between tech industry advisers and Trump advisers was largely considered a bust.
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Mr. Thiel, 49, emigrated from Germany as a child. He co-founded PayPal and Palantir, which focuses on pattern-finding software. His net worth is estimated at about $2.7 billion. Ever since Mr. Thiel was reported to be a California delegate for Mr. Trump, questions have swirled about why he had not given any of his wealth to help his candidate.
At the convention, Mr. Thiel sounded a populist tone rarely heard among entrepreneurs.
“Across the country, wages are flat. Americans get paid less today than 10 years ago,” he said. “But health care and college tuition cost more every year. Meanwhile, Wall Street bankers inflate bubbles in everything from government bonds to Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees. Our economy is broken. If you’re watching me right now, you understand this better than any politician in Washington D.C.” – nytimes.com
Is he allowed to have his political beliefs free from social and business backlash? Do we just let him spend his money how he wants to and not pull our PayPal accounts? For those of us wondering, is there an alternative to PayPal?
Thiel seems to be basing his political money spending on the economic platforms of both candidates. Many of us may be guilty of basing out support for either candidate based on one issue as well.
Is Thiel ignoring his gay card or is the economic strength of the country, more important to him than the rights of its citizens?
[Thiel] also said he was “proud to be gay,” the first time a Republican convention speaker had made such a statement.
Mr. Thiel was identified as gay nine years ago by a blog owned by Gawker Media. He said writers at Gawker should be identified “as terrorists, not as writers or reporters,” and he eventually funded the wrestler Hulk Hogan’s successful lawsuit against the site. Gawker’s flagship website was closed by its new owner, Univision, in August. – nytimes.com
It is unknown what Thiel's interactions are with PayPal currently. It was sold off to eBay, but does he have benefits still with the company? Shares? Would deleting your account still send a mesage?
What are your thoughts?
Will you look for an alternative to PayPal?
Does it really matter what Thiel does?
h/t: nytimes.com
Thiel was the first investor
Thiel was the first investor in Facebook, and owns mucho stock, and sits on the board. Guess that means you all will be canceling your facebook accounts, huh? Somehow I think not. Weak.
Sheep can’t delete their
Sheep can't delete their facebook accounts, it's far too important to their sense of identity.
You are all a bunch of
You are all a bunch of mindless lemmings. Thiel doesn't own PayPal, hasn't for years now…he sold it off to Ebay. So by being so quick to cancel your accounts you hurt Ebay, not Thiel.
Whoever wrote this article is an irresponsible, fear-mongering pseudo-journalist. Check your facts before you incite such calls for a boycott.
Again, Thiel no longer has
Again, Thiel no longer has anything to do with Paypal. If you are going to boycott something, make it count. Ignorance is a dangerous thing and so unnessesary.
Deleting my account.
Deleting my account.
Canceling my account as we
Canceling my account as we speak
Uncle Tom Thiel does, however
Uncle Tom Thiel does, however, sit on Facebook's board.
I don’t hink this jackass is
I don't hink this jackass is associated with paypal any more
Unfortunately I wish I could
Unfortunately I wish I could cut my ties to PayPal, but I owe them money on my PayPal credit account.
I cancelled my account. I’ve
I cancelled my account. I've had it since 2000, but oh well.
I will never use PayPal again
I will never use PayPal again. A credit card without them works just as well.
Yes, the country’s economy,
Yes, the country's economy, healthcare and college tuition is on the bubble BUT Mr. Thiel is still making a boat load of cash. So he wastes it on a candidate with no plan to help make it better? What does he hear that so many millions of Americans don't? Better watch out Mr.Thiel, the LBGT Community just might become Mr. Trump's next victims. Wonder what kind of locker room talk he's had about you behind closed doors!
I’ll pull my account
I'll pull my account