Key Takeaways
- • Forbes places Peter Thiel on the Midas List for a 16th time as cofounder and general partner of venture firm Founders Fund.
- • Founders Fund's portfolio includes Stripe, valued at $159 billion as of February 2026, and SpaceX, which the profile says is planning a public listing this summer at a $1.75 trillion valuation.
- • Thiel cofounded Palantir, which went public via direct listing in 2020, and has sold most of his Facebook stake, leaving the board in 2022.
- • Forbes's publisher page estimates Thiel's net worth at $37.7 billion as of October 2026.
- • Thiel's 2016 controversy centered on Forbes's May 2016 report that he secretly funded lawsuits aimed at destroying Gawker Media.
Summary
Forbes's profile of Peter Thiel, the PayPal and Palantir cofounder, describes him as a returning member of the Midas List for the 16th time, reflecting his continued standing as a leading venture investor. As cofounder and general partner of Founders Fund, Thiel has backed several of the most valuable private companies in the world. The profile cites Stripe, which was valued at $159 billion as of February 2026, and SpaceX, which is reported to be planning a public offering this summer at a valuation of $1.75 trillion.
Thiel also cofounded Palantir, the data analytics company that the profile describes as CIA-backed, which went public through a direct listing in 2020. He was among the first major investors in Facebook but has since sold most of that stake and left the company's board in 2022.
The profile also covers Thiel's philanthropy. The Thiel Foundation provides a small number of young entrepreneurs with $100,000 over two years to leave college and build companies. Forbes lists Thiel's source of wealth as Facebook and investments, and his net worth estimate as $37.7 billion as of October 2026, according to the publisher's page.
The profile also recounts Thiel's public and political profile. He moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles in early 2018 after describing Silicon Valley as a "one-party state." In May 2016, Forbes reported that Thiel had secretly funded lawsuits intended to destroy Gawker Media, a controversy that drew wide attention. He was also one of the first prominent Silicon Valley supporters of Donald Trump in 2016.
Thiel also cofounded Palantir, the data analytics company that the profile describes as CIA-backed, which went public through a direct listing in 2020. He was among the first major investors in Facebook but has since sold most of that stake and left the company's board in 2022.
The profile also covers Thiel's philanthropy. The Thiel Foundation provides a small number of young entrepreneurs with $100,000 over two years to leave college and build companies. Forbes lists Thiel's source of wealth as Facebook and investments, and his net worth estimate as $37.7 billion as of October 2026, according to the publisher's page.
The profile also recounts Thiel's public and political profile. He moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles in early 2018 after describing Silicon Valley as a "one-party state." In May 2016, Forbes reported that Thiel had secretly funded lawsuits intended to destroy Gawker Media, a controversy that drew wide attention. He was also one of the first prominent Silicon Valley supporters of Donald Trump in 2016.
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