Mr. Thiel graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, where he received an A.B. in philosophy and a J.D. from the Stanford University School of Law. He was also the Founding Editor of The Stanford Review, and President of the Stanford Federalist Society.

Mr. Thiel is the author of the book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future (with Blake Masters), and the Independent Institute book, The Diversity Myth: Multiculturalism and Political Intolerance on Campus (with David O. Sacks), and his articles have appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Stanford Magazine, National Review, Policy Review, Rocky Mountain News, Academic Questions, Washington Times, and San Francisco Chronicle. He has been interviewed on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNBC, Fox News Channel, PBS, C-SPAN, and elsewhere.

He further co-produced the film, Thank You for Smoking, was rated a master by the United States Chess Federation, and received the Innovation Award from The Economist in 2010.