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Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

nytimes.com

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Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#111

Post by hotpotamus »

palijer wrote: post #67
chrchang523 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like Elon Musk, he wasn't born in the US and is therefore ineligible. (edit: "natural-born citizen" is not as well-defined as I thought, and Ted Cruz qualifies on account of having a US citizen parent at the time of his birth. But it's clear that Thiel doesn't.)

That requirement seems pretty bizarre to myself as a non-US person. Haven't heard of being natural born as a requirement for president before, but seems like another aspect that the US shares with a small list of other countries. It seems pretty on-brand to be honest though, I wonder why that rule exists and what benefit it provides. The first couple presidents couldn't have met it, so I wonder when it was introduced…

Yep, it seems like a bizarre relic of a bygone era. This actually made me wonder if there's any place else in the government with this requirement. As far as I know, it only applies to the president. But what about the Vice President? He or she could be promoted if the president leaves. Then what about the Speaker of the House (3rd in line and I believe there is literally no requirement for the job; they're not even required to be a member of the house). I'm sure someone's thought through this already and there's a plan in place, but I never had.

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#112

Post by SllX »

Thrymr wrote: post #90
palijer wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That requirement seems pretty bizarre to myself as a non-US person. Haven't heard of being natural born as a requirement for president before, but seems like another aspect that the US shares with a small list of other countries. It seems pretty on-brand to be honest though, I wonder why that rule exists and what benefit it provides. The first couple presidents couldn't have met it, so I wonder when it was introduced…

> I wonder why that rule exists and what benefit it provides. The first couple presidents couldn't have met it, so I wonder when it was introduced. "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President" from section 1, Article 2 of the US Constitution (adopted 1789). There is some legal debate about w…

I think it only really comes up for debate when someone wants to question the eligibility of Presidential candidates for political reasons. I recall a rather minor kerfuffle around McCain’s eligibility (born in the Panama Canal Zone when it was under US Jurisdiction) back in the ‘08 election that was basically meaningless and I think then Senator Obama sponsored a bill that basically clarified this.

There’s two sources of law for determining citizenship though: 1. The Constitution and 2. Laws that Congress passes. If you’re born a citizen according to either of these sources, congrats, you’re a natural born citizen.

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#113

Post by MiscIdeaMaker99 »

morelish wrote: post #56
vineyardmike wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His attack on gawker are anything but commendable. They may have been a trashy gossip site, but attacking press like that is not good for society.

Really? Gawker published intimate photos of someone without their permission. What Gawker did was very wrong. I don't get why people defend Gawker.

One doesn't have to defend Gawker to think that what Peter Theil did was atrocious.

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#114

Post by dnissley »

ComradePhil wrote: post #108
beebmam wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people with this much wealth want even more wealth for themselves? I've never understood this.

I don't think Peter Thiel is in it for the money, not anymore anyway. He is fairly straightforward and has talked about his motivations in various long-form interviews over the years. In my observation, his actions are aligned with his motivations that he has expressed. Partisan media assigns fabricated evil motivations to explain his actions, like they do with everyone who they view as not on their side. People who…

IIRC he sold most of his stake in 2012 after the IPO. He would be far richer today if he had just let his investment in Meta ride, even with the recent fall. It seems clear he's not in it for the money.

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#115

Post by swamp40 »

rahulgoel wrote: post #36
Waterluvian wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their pivot to Meta deeply reinforced the writing on the wall. And then their first ever report of a declining user count was the coup de grace. Come to think of it I need to verify that the user count did decline. I only heard that anecdotally.

- DAUs decreased -0.05% from 1,930m in Q3 22 to 1,929m in Q4 22. ("sequentially") - DAUs increased +4.5% from 1,845m in Q4 21 to 1,929m in Q4 22. ("year over year") - See pp18: https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2021/q4... DAUs are those using FB app only. Metric for those using all apps (Insta, Whatsapp, etc) increased. Btw - there are ~4.66B internet users - and FB has 77% of those log into one of…

FB pushes you to Insta via its Reels preview videos right on top when you open the FB app.

Instagram Reels is more addicting - full screen videos that just show you more of what you watch most intently, doesn't care that you "liked" a page 5 years ago.

Zuck is depreciating FB.

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#116

Post by TuringNYC »

beebmam wrote: post #30
user249 wrote: post #14

This podcast "The Peter Thiel Paradox" [1] explained a lot about the mystery of Peter Thiel to me. Turns out that there is less than meets the eye but he does have a specific talent for manipulating the political systems and government coffers to enrich himself, much like Richard Branson, or so the British podcast claims. [1] https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/the-lrb-p... One nitpick; Theil said "We…

Why do people with this much wealth want even more wealth for themselves? I've never understood this.

In the case of Peter Thiel, the Koch family, and Robert Mercer, it is quite clear that the end goal is no longer wealth, but reshaping politics, geo-political power, and thought for multiple generations.

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#117

Post by zls »

hotpotamus wrote: post #58
paxys wrote: post #35

How soon do people think we will see his candidacy for President? 2028 is my guess.

Is he eligible? Looking at his bio it doesn't appear so. Also he seems like he'd be happier pulling the strings of a President JD Vance anyway.

In the one law class I took, presidential eligibility was the example used to introduce our discussion of "standing". He framed the discussion specifically around a hypothetical Schwarzenegger run. The professor said that although it shouldn't be allowed, if Schwarzenegger actually ran, no one would have standing to sue him, so he would be allowed after all.

The prof spoke in a way that implied this is an accepted truth in the legal community, rather than just his own opinion. But IANAL for a reason, I got a D in that class and maybe he bamboozled me :)

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#118

Post by vagabund »

rahulgoel wrote: post #36
Waterluvian wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their pivot to Meta deeply reinforced the writing on the wall. And then their first ever report of a declining user count was the coup de grace. Come to think of it I need to verify that the user count did decline. I only heard that anecdotally.

- DAUs decreased -0.05% from 1,930m in Q3 22 to 1,929m in Q4 22. ("sequentially") - DAUs increased +4.5% from 1,845m in Q4 21 to 1,929m in Q4 22. ("year over year") - See pp18: https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2021/q4... DAUs are those using FB app only. Metric for those using all apps (Insta, Whatsapp, etc) increased. Btw - there are ~4.66B internet users - and FB has 77% of those log into one of…

The obvious Zuckerbergian next vertical to exploit when you've run out of people on the planet to addict is to funnel those DAUs toward a dating service to birth future demand.

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#119

Post by acomar »

okaramian wrote: post #83
gameswithgo wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is game with millions of human lives being destroyed as a consequence at times.

If you don't like the game, you should probably vote for politicians that change the rules. There isn't a real bound on wealth within the system we're in, until that changes this is reality and expecting people who play it to be inherently moral is naive. Note that Im not stating a judgement either way, just pointing out how the system currently works.

as pointed out in the parent comment that started this chain, politicians are captured by the same assholes who benefit from the system, as structured. if you change the politicians, they either buy or destroy their replacements. so if the system must change, what is to be done?

Re: Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

#120

Post by jvp »

paxys wrote: post #63
beebmam wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people with this much wealth want even more wealth for themselves? I've never understood this.

Is being the 50th best basketball player on the planet good enough? Why do athletes continue to dedicate their lives in the hopes of being #1? Once your basic needs are met and you have a comfortable standard of living, everything else is a game, and people like to win. Why does anyone need a fancy car? Why does anyone need to compete with their neighbors and coworkers? Why does a billionaire need a superyacht when a…

Honestly, no one has ever put it this way. I like the reference to sports! I'd still be happy as a backup QB for 10 years making bank though. Cushy!
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