TLDR: Roth IRA is an account where when you put money into it, it can grow untaxed. It's not a loophole or anything, it's the sole reason this type of an accoun

TLDR: Roth IRA is an account where when you put money into it, it can grow untaxed. It's not a loophole or anything, it's the sole reason this type of an account exists. It's like a regular bank account, but exempted from capital gains tax - in order to stimulate retirement savings. Thiel - among others, I presume - used some of the money in this account to make some very successful investment. He didn't use any "loopholes" or tricks, except for the trick of knowing what to invest in and taking the risk. Now he has a lot of money in this account, due to his investments being successful. That's it.