Peter Thiel: Tariffs, DOGE & the Future of Civilization

From co-founding PayPal and Palantir to writing the first check into Facebook and investing early in SpaceX, AirBnB, and numerous other unicorns, Peter Thiel has shaped the American technology world for over 25 years. Dozens of our most talented leaders have been inspired by Peter, and as a major influence on how we understand the world, he’s also helped to shape the future of the West. Peter likes exploring clever ideas and wisdom, and loves to win.

What's next for our civilization? How should talented people decide what to focus on? And where are the best opportunities amid our myriad challenges? There's no one better than Peter at understanding broken systems, recognizing civilizational currents, and charting a contrarian course. We begin with his mental framework for building in dysfunctional areas, and why Palantir proved more difficult than we ever thought. Peter reveals his worst investments of the past few decades and why broken sectors are often impervious to change. He explains the talent, philosophy, and timing necessary to build a truly generational company.

We also cover DOGE, President Trump's trade policy, and why Peter is more optimistic about the new administration in Washington than at any point since President Reagan. We discuss whether the vibe shift in Silicon Valley is real, and Peter's theory for how Meta (where he served on the board for 17 years) was captured by the woke mind virus. Lastly, he explains the precursors for cultural revolutions, i.e., the woke backlash, and why he's uncharacteristically bullish on the DOGE movement and new opportunities for lasting political change.

Joe Lonsdale is an American entrepreneur, investor & philanthropist. He has been a part of founding more than a dozen mission-driven companies, including Palantir, Addepar, OpenGov, Affinity, Epirus, Resilience Bio, and 8VC.

Follow Joe on Twitter: https://x.com/jtlonsdale
You can find his writings here, including his popular essay "9 Lessons from Peter Thiel": https://blog.joelonsdale.com/

00:00 Episode intro
01:40 UATX vs Harvard
04:45 What should talent people focus on?
07:40 Peter's thesis behind Palantir
11:05 Why Palantir sued the Army
14:30 Optimism vs pessimism
17:10 Peter's worst investment areas
20:30 Peter's perspective on Trump & DOGE
25:45 Trump's trade policy & how to deal with China
30:40 New opportunities in broken areas?
35:10 Los Angeles, Austin, and broken cities
40:25 Is the Silicon Valley vibe shift real?
45:45 Cultural revolutions and why speech codes backfired