
Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak - aditya
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_10/b4169039646363.htm
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AngryParsley
His philanthropic pursuits are also interesting. According to
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel#Philanthropy> he has donated to the
Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Methuselah Mouse Prize
(anti-aging research), and the Seasteading Institute.

Edit: Actually, this makes sense considering his business acumen. He's
shooting for most lives saved per dollar. The chance of success of these
organizations is lower than typical charities, but the expected benefit is
immense compared to typical charities. For example, let's say the Methuselah
foundation has a 1% chance of finding a cure for aging. 7,000,000,000 * 0.01 =
70,000,000 expected lives saved.

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apsec112
I am a research associate at the Singularity Institute, and know several
people involved in anti-aging research and seasteading. Utility-per-dollar
calculations like <http://www.nickbostrom.com/astronomical/waste.html> are
indeed a large part of our motivation. (Please do ask if you have any
questions, or feel free to email me at pphysics141@gmail.com.)

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jasonlbaptiste
"But the number of iconic companies—and the number of companies that even
aspire to greatness—seems to be dropping. I'm a little worried that things are
slowing down, operating well below potential. …We need more Intels, Apples,
Googles, Genentechs, and Facebooks. I'm not sure we're going to get enough
with venture [capital] in its current state. "

I agree and this bothers me a lot. Startups are easier to start and we're
making silly twitter apps or trying to sell out for 5 million. Very few
companies strive to build a lasting legacy.

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apsec112
I agree with your observation (and Thiel's), but disagree on the reasoning.
See my essay An Alternative Theory of Startups
(<http://www.rationalfuturist.com/writings/altstartups.html>).

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davidrheal
Thiel understands that because the world political system is far from
equilibrium, in the long run it will tend towards one of two possible futures:
extreme centralization or extreme decentralization. If you can assume the
former is nwo-type scenario, then it's clear that he's hoping to push society
towards the latter--paypal, seasteading, etc all create the infrstrucure for
small-scale independence. I agree with him.

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aoriste
My least favorite Peter Thiel quote "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a
loser. " According to:
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/14/facebook>

