# Thiel (DD-554)

> 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.

- Department: People (also Tech)
- First published: 2025-04-25
- Last updated: 2025-04-25
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/thiel/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **2002**: eBay acquires PayPal
- **2004**: Thiel invests in Facebook

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=thiel

## Quick facts

- **DD-554-F01**: 1967, Frankfurt. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Born))_
- **DD-554-F02**: Co-founder, CEO. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (PayPal))_

## Write-up

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

1. **Born**: 1967, Frankfurt.
2. **PayPal**: Co-founder, CEO.
3. **eBay**: Acquired 2002.
4. **Facebook**: $500,000 in 2004.
5. **Palantir**: Co-founded 2003.

## Related case files

- [Karp (DD-062)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/karp/): I linked his Palantir co-founder
- [Zuckerberg (DD-536)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/zuckerberg/): I linked an early Facebook investor
- [Andreessen (DD-555)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/andreessen/): I linked another tech investor

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: None needed.

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

- Duration: 27.4 s · Published: 2025-04-25
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DI3rv0bxken.mp4

### Transcript

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!

## Questions & answers

**Q: Birthplace?**  
A: Germany. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Born) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel)_

**Q: Co-founded?**  
A: Payments. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (PayPal) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel)_

**Q: Facebook stake?**  
A: 2004. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (eBay) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel)_

**Q: Palantir founded?**  
A: Data. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Facebook) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel)_

**Q: Who bought PayPal?**  
A: 2002. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Palantir) · Wikipedia: Peter Thiel)_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Peter Thiel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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/