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Or people are just seeing the real person. Before the filter was needed but now that views tangential to his are more mainstream it’s easier for him to let the

by ta9000 1y ago

Or people are just seeing the real person. Before the filter was needed but now that views tangential to his are more mainstream it’s easier for him to let the full nut-job out. Same with the CEO of Salesforce.

PaulHoule 1y ago
One morning early this year there was a black sign stuck on the front door with some edgelord crap from Palantir: https://mastodon.social/@UP8/114356523256174674 https://mastodon.social/@UP8/114356523256174674 I feel like a real dope because Thiel’s minions got me to buy a Rene Gerard book.
- jay_kyburz 1y ago
  The sentiment is OK, we _should_ think more about what we build and why. It's the nationalism at the end I find kind of yuck. What do you call it when you want to improve the lives of all humans equally, not just they corner you were born into. That's what I am.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- biophysboy 1y ago
  The 1st paragraph of this poster makes me wonder if companies like Palantir were partially created out of guilt.
antinomicus 1y ago
I’m honestly thinking he saw all the attention Elon got and wanted some for himself. For real - ten years ago if you asked anyone if they knew who Peter thiel was, maybe 4/10 would be able to tell you. But even among those 4 if you asked do you know what Peter thiel looks like they might all have shrugged. Now, at least to me, it seems like Thiel has decided to do interviews and public appearances like he never did before. And more and more people now know who he is and how crazy he is as a result. Not sure it’s had the effect he’s looking for. I am so constantly confused by the level of greed and insanity these kinds of people reach. My theory is that once you are so divorced from the material world and what the value of anything is, your brain turns to mush.
- randomNumber7 1y ago
  He did some smart things in the past at least (I also think he is pretty insane). But the article isn't very clear about what he said. I read sommewhere else his idea is more that someone would be able to unite the masses in the phase of economic trouble we are heading to. Like Hitler but for the whole world. I think its also funny that he suspects greta tunberg.
- edot 1y ago
  I think your numbers are off by at least 10x, if not more. Ask a random American nowadays (not a tech worker) and I’d be shocked if more than 1/30 have even heard his name, let alone seen his face. 10 years ago I’d be shocked if it wasn’t 1/100. Again, average Americans, not entrepreneur / tech people / politically active person. Most Americans don’t even know who their senators are, and less than 60% can name one of the rights the first amendment protects. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/07/what-americans-know-about-their-government/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/07/what-amer...
lordnacho 1y ago
I still can't decide which mechanism is at work: Person is a nutter -> nutters more likely to be at the extremes of achievement (success and failure) -> you see the successes -> there's a bunch of insane people who became billionaires versus: Some people win at the success game -> they start to think they are special -> environment encourages them towards extremes of thought -> bunch of crazy billionaires One way the negative traits are merely uncovered by getting rich. Other way the negative traits are actually developed along with getting rich.
- eximius 1y ago
  Por que no los dos? They are not mutually exclusive, really. Perhaps the first skews the initial population and the second exacerbates it.
  - lordnacho 1y ago
    Sure, but is one more relevant?
- godsinhisheaven 1y ago
  You say nutter, I say neurodivergent. I think there is a lot more truth than you think to your first statement! I have a hypothesis that neurodivergent people are overrepresented at the highest levels of government, finance, technology, etc, and that this has probably been the case for, most of human history. Part of the (extremely justified) complaints about the rich and powerful is that they're "not like us", and I think that's true in more ways than one!
- strbean 1y ago
  Don't forget selection bias. There are plenty of ultra-rich people who are not, as far as we know, nutters. We tend to talk about the nutters more precisely because they are nutters. In the case of Thiel, I think his particular flavor of craziness is key to his success. I believe his paranoia was a major factor in the founding of Palantir.
ls-a 1y ago
I agree. I think people who are criticizing him have similar behavior when it comes to their own beliefs, but they're hiding it from the public. What makes Thiel seem crazy is the fact that his behavior is slightly more mainstream than the average individual.

by ta9000 1y ago

PaulHoule 1y ago

One morning early this year there was a black sign stuck on the front door with some edgelord crap from Palantir: https://mastodon.social/@UP8/114356523256174674 https://mastodon.social/@UP8/114356523256174674 I feel like a real dope because Thiel’s minions got me to buy a Rene Gerard book.

jay_kyburz 1y ago
The sentiment is OK, we _should_ think more about what we build and why. It's the nationalism at the end I find kind of yuck. What do you call it when you want to improve the lives of all humans equally, not just they corner you were born into. That's what I am.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
biophysboy 1y ago
The 1st paragraph of this poster makes me wonder if companies like Palantir were partially created out of guilt.

antinomicus 1y ago

I’m honestly thinking he saw all the attention Elon got and wanted some for himself. For real - ten years ago if you asked anyone if they knew who Peter thiel was, maybe 4/10 would be able to tell you. But even among those 4 if you asked do you know what Peter thiel looks like they might all have shrugged. Now, at least to me, it seems like Thiel has decided to do interviews and public appearances like he never did before. And more and more people now know who he is and how crazy he is as a result. Not sure it’s had the effect he’s looking for. I am so constantly confused by the level of greed and insanity these kinds of people reach. My theory is that once you are so divorced from the material world and what the value of anything is, your brain turns to mush.

randomNumber7 1y ago
He did some smart things in the past at least (I also think he is pretty insane). But the article isn't very clear about what he said. I read sommewhere else his idea is more that someone would be able to unite the masses in the phase of economic trouble we are heading to. Like Hitler but for the whole world. I think its also funny that he suspects greta tunberg.
edot 1y ago
I think your numbers are off by at least 10x, if not more. Ask a random American nowadays (not a tech worker) and I’d be shocked if more than 1/30 have even heard his name, let alone seen his face. 10 years ago I’d be shocked if it wasn’t 1/100. Again, average Americans, not entrepreneur / tech people / politically active person. Most Americans don’t even know who their senators are, and less than 60% can name one of the rights the first amendment protects. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/07/what-americans-know-about-their-government/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/07/what-amer...

lordnacho 1y ago

I still can't decide which mechanism is at work: Person is a nutter -> nutters more likely to be at the extremes of achievement (success and failure) -> you see the successes -> there's a bunch of insane people who became billionaires versus: Some people win at the success game -> they start to think they are special -> environment encourages them towards extremes of thought -> bunch of crazy billionaires One way the negative traits are merely uncovered by getting rich. Other way the negative traits are actually developed along with getting rich.

eximius 1y ago
Por que no los dos? They are not mutually exclusive, really. Perhaps the first skews the initial population and the second exacerbates it.
- lordnacho 1y ago
  Sure, but is one more relevant?
godsinhisheaven 1y ago
You say nutter, I say neurodivergent. I think there is a lot more truth than you think to your first statement! I have a hypothesis that neurodivergent people are overrepresented at the highest levels of government, finance, technology, etc, and that this has probably been the case for, most of human history. Part of the (extremely justified) complaints about the rich and powerful is that they're "not like us", and I think that's true in more ways than one!
strbean 1y ago
Don't forget selection bias. There are plenty of ultra-rich people who are not, as far as we know, nutters. We tend to talk about the nutters more precisely because they are nutters. In the case of Thiel, I think his particular flavor of craziness is key to his success. I believe his paranoia was a major factor in the founding of Palantir.

ls-a 1y ago

I agree. I think people who are criticizing him have similar behavior when it comes to their own beliefs, but they're hiding it from the public. What makes Thiel seem crazy is the fact that his behavior is slightly more mainstream than the average individual.