Peter Thiel Escapes Silicon Valley, Moves To Los Angeles

Peter Thiel is a controversial figure in the tech industry because unlike many of his colleagues, he is an avid Donald Trump supporter. It seems the backlash for his political leanings have finally taken its toll since a new report indicates that the billionaire is leaving Silicon Valley for Los Angeles. Thiel is also taking his money with him.

This new report comes via The Wall Street Journal, which delves into several revelations by people close to Thiel. Apparently, the most prominent conservative in the tech industry wants to scale back his involvement in the ecosystem he helped to create. Thiel has been a prolific investor and helped prop up many of Silicon Valley’s most successful companies to date.

It would appear that Thiel is also considering resigning his position on Facebook as a member of its board due to deteriorating relationships. The social network itself is not in a very good political position right now thanks to the role that it played in getting President Trump elected. With Thiel still being part of its governing body, the optics simply aren’t looking good for Facebook.

While Thiel may have risen in the public eye as a conservative firebrand in 2016 for his support of then-candidate Trump, the billionaire has always had libertarian views since entering the tech scene, Quartz notes. This led him to push back on many of the trends emanating from the various left-leaning companies in Silicon Valley.

On that note, Los Angeles is not likely to provide him respite and enable him to express his right-wing ideologies more freely. The region is proudly liberal in its political tones, with an overwhelming majority voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Then again, if rumors are to be believed, it seems Thiel wants to be the next Rupert Murdoch and is aiming to create a conservative media outlet. Doing so in Los Angeles might be outrageous enough to make a huge splash.