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Peter Thiel to step down from Meta’s board

nytimes.com

181–190 of 276 posts

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

#181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> He would be far richer today if he had just let his investment in Meta ride You mean if he had had a crystal ball, which absolutely nobody on the planet possesses. Hyper concentrating your wealth in a highly risky investment, is not a good investment strategy. In the absence of a crystal ball, he made a very reasonable choice to cash the Facebook position out given his exposure to numerous other high-risk tech-rela…

> You mean if he had had a crystal ball

Amusingly isn't that what a Palantir actually is?

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

#182
post #88
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…

This rule was enacted to prevent Alexander Hamilton from becoming president. He also wasn't born in the US. The term "naturalized" wasn't yet well defined. The first American born president (born after the revolution) was Van Buren, the first 7 were born British citizens!

> The first American born president (born after the revolution) was Van Buren, the first 7 were born British citizens!

Van Buren was born in NY, in the US, but was the only president that used English as a second language. Both of his parents were of Dutch descent.

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

#183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i suspect a number of narcissistic christians secretly wonder if they're actually the second coming. it wouldn't surprise me if thiel were in that group.

Now I'm curious: do the scriptures say when Jesus became self-aware, that he was (the son of) God?

from what (little) i remember, he was pretty self-aware in all of the bible that i read growing up. i'd guess a supreme being who wasn't really "born" would always have had self-awareness.

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

#185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I would consider it evil to say that women shouldn't vote.

From what I know, he doesn't think anyone should vote... because he understands that democracy is a tool used by the establishment to give people the illusion of freedom. This view is not unique to him. He shares it with several other libertarians, historical and contemporary.

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

#186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i suspect a number of narcissistic christians secretly wonder if they're actually the second coming. it wouldn't surprise me if thiel were in that group.

Now I'm curious: do the scriptures say when Jesus became self-aware, that he was (the son of) God?

it's not expressed exactly when he realizes, but awareness of identity is demonstrated in John 8:58 and John 17:5.

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

#187

Thiel recently hired former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who resigned from that position after a bunch of corruption scandals came to light. That should make it quite clear what direction he wants to take.

He wants to become chancellor of Austria? Or just parlay that relationship into another citizenship for his collection?

"High-level corruption as a service" is likely to be his main value proposition, basically.

That's the takeaway to get from his partnering with Kurz.

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

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

thiel isn't that talented or smart, but he did get hella lucky, and that's a sore point for him. so he's used his paypal riches on an extended PR campaign to make everyone believe he's something more than he is. literally every quote and quip i've heard from him is recycled directly from elsewhere, rather than being even a semi-original notion, but he passes it off as wisdom from on high. he wants more than just resp…

Jeez. I hate to burst your bubble, but Peter is more talented and intelligent than most of the readers/writers on this website. It's easy to make your claim when your perception of the guy is based solely on news articles and hit pieces. I don't agree with him on everything, but there is no denying that he's gotten where he is through maneuvering and foresight.

Also he is a ~2200 ELO-rated chess player. That alone would make the baseline IQ and ability to think through logic, analytical thinking, calculation skills and stratetic planning beyond most HN users, even though in a small domain of Chess; I'd wager more broadly.

https://ratings.fide.com/profile/2022389

Personally, I find his thinking savagely brutally straight to the point and cuts through cultural rust we've built up in our thinking process. It is fascinating, I don't agree with him on a lot of things but I admit, he is interesting.

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

#189
post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

thiel isn't that talented or smart, but he did get hella lucky, and that's a sore point for him. so he's used his paypal riches on an extended PR campaign to make everyone believe he's something more than he is. literally every quote and quip i've heard from him is recycled directly from elsewhere, rather than being even a semi-original notion, but he passes it off as wisdom from on high. he wants more than just resp…

You sound pretty brilliant yourself . Mind sharing your achievements that would illustrate how much more talented and smart you are than Thiel?

No post body was provided.

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

#190
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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!

Backup qbs don’t make much more then software engineers… just saying. The league minimum is like 700k.

A third stringer might make the minimum, but the backup is very likely to start at least a game or two during the season, and is often clearing a couple million dollars in annual salary.

https://boardroom.tv/nfl-backup-qb-salaries/

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