The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power

The author obviously hates Peter Thiel. That is OK, but I was interested in learning about Thiel, not about the author’s agenda. I am sorry that I bought the book.

Excellent look into Peter Thiel and the influence of the new breed of oligarchs on our society and government.

I haven't completed the book yet. It is written in a fluent style, although some facts about Thiel were already well known, including the interview by Weltwoche. Down to the detail, including his perfect SAT scores and junior chess achievements, the author describes Thiel's rise to power as a child of German immigrants. A few historical inaccuracies, however, are also part of this book. Germany is described as a country without critical, political movements in the 60's, but by 1968 the German left and other groups had put together an opposition movement. The author writes critically about Thiel but at the same time, he seems to be a secret admirer, which I find psychologically interesting. Finally, it is notable that Germany and many countries in Europe, with less monopolistic industries (and no Thiel) are doing far better when it comes to health care, education and equal opportunities at work...

An excellent book, well researched and quite funny in places. I think we need an updated version digging into Palantir and how they may have influenced the 2024 US election.

This is in no way a bias portrayal, I think this is representing the man as he is. It’s not the authors fault that every page includes crazy, self obsessive, heartlessness. That’s probably Peters doing and it’s right that it’s documented. A great book, not one that paints a picture of a charming, caring soul, but one of a man who has probably influenced the western world more than anyone else in the last 20 years. A great man with aN even greater flaw.