The problem with this line of reasoning is that it's hopelessly naive. It takes time for people who have been suddenly vaulted into the position of being the ruling class to realize that they are regarded as such.
Silicon Valley as a culture still sees itself as a scrappy underdog. They see startups as small underfunded rebels trying to disrupt rich and powerful corporate interests. They see themselves as unstylish and unpopular "geeks" outside the social power of the attractive and successful. Silicon Valley doesn't perceive itself as a center of wealth, power, and social control. But the rest of the world has no trouble whatsoever figuring it out, and they are scared of this power.
As they should be. Concentrations of wealth and power without accountability are dangerous.
The meta-discussion around Peter Thiel and Gawker is fundamentally about power and who wields it in society. When you see someone on your playground who is clearly far stronger than a normal person walk over and punch someone in the face with no accountability and no real ability to seek redress you don't actually care much what the person did to deserve it. You suddenly start getting very nervous about who he's going to punch in the face next, as you're keenly aware that it's not you who gets to decide.
This backlash is going to get louder not softer. The "Who me? What are you talking about we're all just private ordinary citizens pay us no mind" type arguments like this one I am replying to are not going to help.
Stanford has the number one business school in the country. Apple, Google, and Microsoft are the top three most valuable companies in the world. Peter Thiel has almost three billion dollars.
To an outsider watching this movie, the tech sector isn't Hoth, it's the Death Star.
Extremely wealthy people are not at all like any other group of people. They are far, far, more powerful.