Peter Andreas Thiel is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist, political activist, and author. He was ranked No. 4 on the Forbes Midas List of 2014, with a net worth of $2.2 billion, and No. 246 on the Forbes 400 in 2016, with a net worth of $2.7 billion. He co-founded PayPal in 1999, and served as chief executive officer until its sale to eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.