Peter Thiel: All we know about PayPal billionaire linked to Jeffrey Epstein

A new set of bombshell documents on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein have been released and several highly influential people in US politics have appeared in those files.

Billionaire Peter Thiel, who has turned himself into a right-wing activist and is often thought to be behind JD Vance's rise to the top of US politics, was named in the newly released data. Thiel co-founded PayPal in the 90s and now runs one of the most controversial companies in the world, the spy tech business Palantir. Copies of convicted sex offender Epstein's calendar suggested the paedophile had lunch with Thiel in November 2017.

Other major tech and political allies to Donald Trump were included in these new documents, including Elon Muskand Steve Bannon.

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Who is Peter Thiel?

The tech billionaire was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1967 but his family immigrated to the US when he was a one-year-old. Thiel later became a US citizen and studied philosophy at Stanford University. His right-wing beliefs were present even when he was a young adult, as he co-founded the Stanford Review - a conservative and libertarian newspaper - while a student.

The politics obsessed business man also co-wrote a book, called "The Diversity Myth" which slammed multiculturalism and liberalism. Thiel is a registered Republican and married his husband Matt Danzeisen in 2017.

How much money does Thiel have?

Thiel has an eye-watering net worth of $26.1billion (£19bn) and started making his money when he co-founded PayPal in 1996 and was the CEO until the company sold to eBay in 2002.

Since then he has become the president and chairman of several tech and venture capital firms, including Palantir. He was also notably the first outside investor of Facebook. The billionaire now spends lots of his money and energy on funding and promoting far-right politics.

Thiel and his political beliefs

The businessman is a conservative libertarian and has used his money and influence to wage war on left-wing politics and figures. The tech billionaire has worryingly shared his scepticism towards democracy and was one of the first Silicon Valley bosses to share his support for Trump.

In a 2009 essay, called The Education of a Libertarian, Thiel wrote: "I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible."

Thiel's support for Trump paid off as joined the President's executive committee for his transition into power, after his first win in 2016. Since then, he has donated eye-watering amounts of money to the Republican party and even became one of the largest donors in 2022.

The German-born tech boss is often accredited to JD Vance's rise in politics, after the pair met at a venture capital talk in 2011. Thiel became a "pretty good mentor" to Vance and helped him in both his political and personal careers. Vance gained more support from Thiel during his 2022 Senate run - and even a record breaking $15million donation from the tech boss.

The billionaire and his obsession with antiaging

Thiel maybe passionate about far-right politics but the tech mogul is also obsessed with antiaging.

The tech boss told Bloomberg TV in 2012 that he was taking human growth hormone pills, also known as HGH, in an attempt to slow aging. He said these pills could "maintain muscle mass, so it's less likely to get bone injuries and arthritis and stuff like that, as you get older".

Thiel previously said he follows a paleo diet - which is supposed to emulate how humans ate before modern agriculture. This means the tech boss avoid all processed foods and sugars, while eating mostly fruit, veg and some meats. Thiel has also invested into antiaging research.

Thiel and Epstein

As a storm rages around Trump and his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, allies close to the President have been swept up in the latest batch of files released by Democratic lawmakers.

These documents suggested Epsteinhad a planned lunch with Thiel on November 27, 2017. The calendar also claimed the sex offender planned a breakfast with former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon on Feb. 16, 2019 - just months before Epstein was charged with sex trafficking of minors.

A copy of the dead paedo's itinerary also mentioned Tesla boss Elon Musk having a tentative trip to Epstein's island on Dec. 6, 2014. The documents do not confirm whether the meetings between Epstein and the three named took place.