“Credentials are critical if you want to do something professional. If you want to become a doctor or lawyer or teacher or professor, there is a credentialing process. But there are a lot of other things where it's not clear they're that important.”

German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and conservative political activist

Peter Thiel is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and conservative political activist. He is known as a co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund, and as Facebook's first outside investor. His work spans startups, investment, and politics, and his public profile is tied to the companies he helped build and back. Forbes estimated his net worth at US$37.7 billion as of October 2026.