Or, you could spin this as ethical investing. Presumably, Thiel backed Hogan with an expectation of being compensated if Gawker lost the suit and had to pay damages. So, from an investment perspective, this was a good deal that paid off. It also punished a bad actor that invaded a celebrities private life. Smells like a win-win to me.
Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
251–260 of 383 posts
Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#252Earlier quoted context omitted.
The subject of the case is a red herring. Typically in these situations, a settlement is reached or insurance covers the damages. That didn't happen. Thiel had an axe to grind against Gawker, invested $10m in the litigation, and pushed the case past settlement offers - even removing a claim that allowed insurance to cover damages. It focused on maximizing the damage to Gawker, which isn't what civil court is typicall…
I won't pretend Thiel's behavior in this matter is unambiguously good, but Gawker is a habitual bad actor, assisting stalkers, violating privacy on numerous occasions for reasons most reasonable people wouldn't consider newsworthy and offering bounties for stolen property. Several of those behaviors are illegal, and the last is likely criminal. Viewed in a favorable light, Thiel wants to discourage gawker and compani…
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Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#253Wait a minute. Gawker is no righteous hero here. Let's see if I understand correctly. Gawker outs Thiel (which is nobody's business, yet Gawker decided to make it people's business). Gawker at some point later posts an illegal SEX tape (again, nobody's business). Now, we're supposed to feel sorry for Gawker because Thiel wants to help out another person who was WRONGED by Gawker? Wow. Just wow.
Have you seen Gawker's piece on Thiel? ( http://gawker.com/335894/peter-thiel-is-totally-gay-people ) Surely broke his privacy, but by no means was it offensive. I get how HOGAN would be mad, but this seems like a whining billionaire without better ideas for his money. (irony much?)
You're not the one that gets to decide if that was offensive. If he was not comfortable enough to be out at the time that was written, then yes, that could be completely offensive to him.
Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#254This is why I find myself firmly on Team Thiel. Gawker are using the historical precedent of freedom of the press in order to exploit the private lives of people, illegally, for profit. It is this corrupted pursuit of salacious gossip which led to the hacking of thousands and thousands of voicemails in the United Kingdom by News International. Not just celebrities but political figures and most chillingly, victims of…
> So yeh, I am Team Thiel until the press learn to wield their authority with respect and deference. A good/free press does not and should not exhibit respect and deference to those in power. For a counter-example, see the Russian press, which does show a lot of respect and deference to the Russian ruling class.
A good press also does not do things like publish illegally obtained sex tapes simply because someone was famous, or out someone as gay simply because they can.
Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#255The fundamental issue here is that rich people can buy the law. It's not as simple as bribery, but it's nearly as effective. The only defense we have against that is when voters and jurors are educated and deeply suspicious of laws and litigation that are bought. Of course what Gawker did was reprehensible, but I don't need a million-dollar lawyer to tell me that. And when suddenly there is a million-dollar lawyer te…
He didn't buy the law, though. Gawker completely and totally did the things they were accused of. Would the world be better off if Hogan did not have the resources to fight back against what they did?
Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#256Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have you seen Gawker's piece on Thiel? ( http://gawker.com/335894/peter-thiel-is-totally-gay-people ) Surely broke his privacy, but by no means was it offensive. I get how HOGAN would be mad, but this seems like a whining billionaire without better ideas for his money. (irony much?)
You're not the one that gets to decide if that was offensive. If he was not comfortable enough to be out at the time that was written, then yes, that could be completely offensive to him.
I'm not deciding for him. I'm being commonsensical by saying his "punishment" was not justifiable because of this article.
For 99.9% of human beings, such article would never make someone spend enough money to put this newspaper out of business.
Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#257Earlier quoted context omitted.
1. What does a person's sexuality have ANYTHING AT ALL to do with VC funding? It blows my mind how much people care about who someone else is screwing!!! That's a private thing. Keep it at home. 2. If Thiel wanted anyone to know, it is his privilege to do so. It doesn't matter that it was not offensive to further_tech. Do you think it MAY have been offensive to Thiel?
1) First Amendment. Have you ever heard about celebrity gossips and VH1? 2) If it was offensive to Thiel, he clearly has an ego problem. Regardless, the article did not ATTACK him or MOCKED his sexuality. Any normal gay person would find other means to deal with this.
1) I would LOVE to hear how you believe the 1st answers the questions I posed.
2) So, when someone is outed, if they're offended, they have an ego problem? What planet are you from?
Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#258Earlier quoted context omitted.
What exactly is the difference between "bankroll personal vendettas" and "fight against what you believe is bad"? The latter has to be broke and the former isn't?
Funding a secret lawsuit against a company to try and destroy them for outing you as being gay is not good behavior. This has dangerous precedent for freedom of speech in journalism. If what Gawker did was illegal in outing him, he should have sued for that. If it were just morally objectionable, he should have called them on it and let the public decide how to respond. What this lawsuit says is, "say something about…
"Funding a secret lawsuit against a company to try and destroy them for outing you as being gay is not good behavior."
Maybe, but I can't say it's bad behavior, either.
"What this lawsuit says is, "say something about a rich person that they don't like (even if it's perfectly legal or maybe even in the public's best interest to know), and they'll fund covert lawsuits against you to destroy your entire business.""
You're gonna have to point out what, if anything, the public's interest is in knowing that Peter Thiel was gay, or that Hogan made a sex tape.
"We're taught this as children, "two wrongs don't make a right.""
Yeah, but when we're children, the world is pretty black and white. As adults, things tend to be gray.
Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#259Extremely wealthy people are just like any other group of people in that they come in all shapes and sizes. Here, one very wealthy individual used his money to fund someone else's lawsuit. He did so secretly. He did so against an organization that had harmed him and against which he presumably wanted payback but that also had done a gratuitously damaging and sleazy act as part of a pattern of sleazy acts upon which i…
I agree. It is sad that now when people think of tech billionaires , they think of people like Peter thiel, a bad apple who even supports Trump. Valley has a lot of successfully people like Bill gates who have huge positive impacts on the world. Peter Thiel is such a notorious figure. It is disappointing that he is now representing other impactful tech billionaires.
Re: Thiel shows why tech billionaires are the new robber barons
#260Extremely wealthy people are just like any other group of people in that they come in all shapes and sizes. Here, one very wealthy individual used his money to fund someone else's lawsuit. He did so secretly. He did so against an organization that had harmed him and against which he presumably wanted payback but that also had done a gratuitously damaging and sleazy act as part of a pattern of sleazy acts upon which i…
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 a…
Peter Thiel funding a lawsuit is far from the center of power and social control.
In this, he's merely a petitioner, hoping the true center of power and social control (the courts and lawmakers) will act in his favor.