Silicon Valley has been frustrated for a while with Peter Thiel’s libertarian views, especially his embrace of Donald Trump. And Thiel has returned the disdain.
“Silicon Valley is a one-party state,” Thiel said in an address at Stanford University just last month. “That’s when you get in trouble politically in our society, when you’re all in one side.” Which of course would describe the nation right now, which is controlled by a serially lying, pro-Russian president, Republican Congress, and GOP control in a majority of states.
So it’s not entirely a surprise that Thiel is abandoning Silicon Valley and his mansion in San Francisco. For Los Angeles. That’s right, LA.
Of course, there are plenty of places to that are more conducive to a libertarian than Silicon Valley. But Los Angeles?
How about we take this to the next level?
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“LA is a better place to do [focus on new projects],” a source close to Thiel told CNNMoney.
Okay. But then the source added this line, presumably with a straight face.
Related: Is Peter Thiel gunning to become the even more right-wing version of Roger Ailes?
“LA is also less out of touch and it’s a better place to connect with the rest of the country.”
Yes, when we think of places in tune with middle America and its core values, the first place that comes to mind is Hollywood. Conveintly, Thiel already has a home there.
A far more likely explanation is that this was a business decision. Thiel is looking to start a new media company, and Los Angeles is a much better place than San Jose for that undertaking.
There is a thudding irony in Thiel’s interest in a media company, given that he spent a good chunk of change to destroy another media company, Gawker.
But never underestimate Thiel’s business, if not political, savvy. While betting more than a million dollars on the clearly incompetent Trump was perhaps a dubious investment (unless you consider those tax cuts the rich are getting) he’s done much better in the stock markets.
At the end of last year, he was holding options that would pay off big in the event of stock market volatility. We won’t know for a while until the SEC filings are made public, if Thiel still held onto those when the market took a roller coaster ride at the beginning of the month.
But if he did, he would have made a killing. And what a better cushion in which to move south.
JaredMacBride
Trump is a disgrace of a person and and embarrassment as a President, but there is zero evidence he is “pro-Russia.” Perpetuating that myth causes people to doubt the serious and realistic claims against him.
Heywood Jablowme
“Zero evidence,” seriously? There’s plenty of evidence, plus every time the subject comes up he turns into even more of a gibbering idiot than he usually is.
Ukin Blome
Seriously? The Mueller probe is closing in on tRump. The rats that have jumped ship are set to testify against him. I can guarantee the shit hits the fan around the mid-term elections.
Brody
At least L.A. is diverse enough that he won’t get spit on just for voting Trump, as ‘Friscans (and Queerty commenters) are wont to do.
DCguy
Awwww, how adorable, one of the anti-lgbt troll screenames wants to hide bigotry and racism behind the words “Voting for Trump”.
If you have to hide facts behind coded language you’ve already exposed your point as false.
ChrisK
You’re behind the times. SF is not the same city as it once was since most of the liberal inhabitants have been replaced by those that can afford it.
Brody
Chris, if you’re going to try to convince someone that SF is anything but hyper-uber-mega-super-dooper-liberal due to the influx of wealthy Silicon Valley companies, make sure that person is as naive as you want them to be. I, however, pay attention to such things, and know that the City by the Bay hasn’t even had a Republican council member since 1973.
Kangol
You sound snowflakish. Thiel’s a grown man. He can deal with a little pushback to his abhorrent politics and support for lying, racist narcissistic Russian puppet Trump.
Juanjo
Well Brody, if you had any brain at all you would know that SF does not have a city council, it has a merged city-county government and has a Board of Supervisors and has had one for what, a century or so? In addition, you would know that all city elections are non-partisan which means political party affiliation is not stated for anyone running for city office. But of course that does not fit with your beliefs, so you’ll ignore reality.
It is true that SF is much more liberal than many parts of the USA. But that is not true of the other parts of the Bay Area although they are certainly, for the vast majority of them, far more liberal than say Alabama is in general. Thiel does not live in San Francisco, he lives down on the peninsula where the population is not as far left as San Francisco. But the people there dislike Thiel not as much for his vote of Trump [he is not the only one who did] but because he is an extremist libertarian who does not play well with others, including other conservatives. Of course, it remains to be seen how long he might stay in LA since he bought citizenship in New Zealand and has bought and outfitted a little survivalist outpost there. He doesn’t even try to hide this fact – he is sure the world is going to go up with a bang any day and he will hop in his specially outfitted private jet and fly off to his fortress of solitude. He is a smart nut case and that is why he is not treated well by his fellow billionaires in the Silicon Valley.
But that won’t fit your narrative either does it, troll boy?
Brody
Kangol –
I keep asking liberals how it is, exactly, that Trump is racist, and I’m interested in your take.
Juan –
tl;dr
Ukin Blome
Russian trolls
DCguy
The article says…..Silicon Valley has been frustrated for a while with Peter Thiel’s libertarian views, especially his embrace of Donald Trump.
—————————————–
Thiel isn’t a Libertarian. He hasn’t supported or donated to libertarian candidates, and he was a vocal and financial supporter of the Republican ticket. People claim to be Libertarians when they try to dodge responsibility for the GOP candidates they support.
Thiel also is a big fan of regulations that benefit him. A true libertarian is opposed to such things.
He supported anti-lgbt candidates, got called out on it and now is trying to avoid responsibility. If that wasn’t obvious enough, him using the FOX News victim language gives it away.
ChrisK
Getting tired of these fake Libertarians. Even their found Ayn Rand was fake taking full advantage of Social Security and Medicare. Yeah, no rules and regulations as long as it doesn’t effect me. Then it’s socialism galore.
Juanjo
DCguy – he describes himself as a libertarian and his friends also describe him as a libertarian. I am not going to get into a discussion over who is a True Scotsman. He is a nut case when it comes to politics and has a belief to support everything he does. He is also a selfish ass and this on one reason why he does not play well with others and others do not like him, including his fellow millionaires. He is also a survivalist and has outfitted his own little fortress of solitude in New Zealand where he intends to fly when the world apocalypse happens.
greg87
Byeeeeee!
(please don’t come back. We don’t want you here).
Aires the Ram
I’m a gay man, and I’ve been ‘out’ for 40 years. I fail to understand why, after all the years of claiming to be so “diverse”, the gay community at large has become this fascist-like single mind-set of Marxist/socialsts, so far so that any hint of another gay person not towing the ‘party line’, is cast out into the wilderness. Since when, did the ‘so-called’ gay “community” become so unwelcoming of ‘diversity’?
Most of you (not all), have been so manipulated by the leftist media, that when asked about the real issues facing us as a nation, all you can do is say “I hate Trump.” And if someone disagrees with you, your ONLY COMEBACK, is to call them a racist-mysogonous-bigot-homophobe-islamophobe?
Kinda shows how mentally unhinged many of you have become. Never from any of you, either here on these forums, or in real life, have I heard any of you argue why globalism, open borders, bad trade agreements that hurt American workers, etc etc, are a good idea. It’s just this “if you’re going to be my friend, be allowed into my circle, you MUST hate Trump as I do. No discussion of the issues at all. It’s a sad state of affairs when, on forums such as this, we can’t debate the actual issues, rather than just hear you go off on how you hate Trump, with no real reason why. The liberal leftist media really has a lot of you whipped up into a frenzy, and you yourselves don’t even really understand why.
Juanjo
Which sockpuppet are you Aires? Lovely set of logical fallacies but total drivel.
Ukin Blome
I doubt everything you say in your post russian troll #74233
medcannabis1
Well as another gay man who came out in 1971 while in high school I can tell you I hate all the Trump represents, from the vile treatment of others he considers less than he. His business practices are nothing but a sham front for money laundering for the Russian mob and FSB oligarchs http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/trump-pattern-russian-money-laundering-testimony-article-1.3764964 while surrounding himself with a cast of characters right out of a Dickens.
Peter is a self loathing man who has never understood compassion and kindness. His support of this administration and it’s policies is simply shameful for an gay man.
I am proud to support the progressive movement and am always able to call out a closet racist even if they are gay.
Blessings.