Peter A. Thiel is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute. He is Founder and Managing Member of Clarium Capital Management, LLC, and Founder and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PayPal, Inc. Past president of Thiel Capital International and chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Confinity, Inc., Mr. Thiel has worked as a derivatives trader at Credit Suisse Financial Products, a securities lawyer for Sullivan & Cromwell, speechwriter for former Education Secretary William J. Bennett, and a law clerk for Judge Larry Edmondson of the U. S. Court of Appeals.

Mr. Thiel graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, where he received an A.B. in philosophy and a J.D. from the Stanford University School of Law. He was also the founding editor of The Stanford Review, and president of the Stanford Federalist Society.

Mr. Thiel is also co-author (with David Sacks) of the Independent Institute book, The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and Political Intolerance on Campus, and his articles have appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Stanford Magazine, National Review, Policy Review, Rocky Mountain News, Academic Questions, Washington Times, and San Francisco Chronicle. He has appeared on such television programs as Kudlow and Cramer (CNBC), Your World (Fox News), Firing Line (PBS), Debates Debates (PBS), Washington Journal (C-SPAN), and Bay-TV Prime (San Francisco).