From the Editor

Last Updated Jul 15, 2026, 6:30am EDT

  • Peter Thiel returns to the Midas List for a 16th time as the cofounder and general partner of venture fund Founders Fund.
  • Among its investments are Stripe and SpaceX, two of the most valuable unicorns in the world; Stripe was valued at $159 billion as of February 2026; SpaceX is planning to go public this summer at a valuation of $1.75 trillion.
  • He also cofounded CIA-backed big data startup Palantir, which went public via a direct listing in 2020.
  • Thiel, the first big investor in Facebook, has sold most of his stake in the social network; He left the board in 2022.
  • His Thiel Foundation gives a small number of young entrepreneurs $100,000 over two years to skip college and build their own company.
  • Thiel moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco in early 2018 after calling Silicon Valley a "one-party state."
Wealth History
HOVER TO REVEAL NET WORTH BY YEAR

Forbes Lists

list appearances

53

Personal Stats

Age
58
Source of Wealth
Facebook, investments, Self Made
Self-Made Score
8
Philanthropy Score
1
Residence
Los Angeles, California
Citizenship
United States
Marital Status
Married
Children
1
Education
Doctor of Jurisprudence, Stanford University; Bachelor of Arts/Science, Stanford University
Did you know
Thiel found himself at the center of controversy after Forbes revealed in May 2016 that he was secretly funding lawsuits in an attempt to destroy Gawker Media.
Thiel, a Trump delegate in California, was one of the first outspoken Trump supporters in Silicon Valley in 2016.
Related People & Companies
Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms
Holds stake in Facebook
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Stripe
Stripe
Holds stake in Stripe
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