Meta announces that Peter Thiel, one of Facebook's first institutional investors and longest-serving directors, will step down from Meta's board this year

The tech billionaire, who has been on the board of the company formerly known as Facebook since 2005, is backing numerous politicians in the midterm elections.

New York Times 2022-02-08

Context & Ripple Effects

Thiel’s departure had been foreshadowed by reports that he had considered leaving Facebook’s board amid a broader move away from the tech industry. His role was more consequential than a routine directorship: related coverage describes him advising Mark Zuckerberg on White House dynamics and the company’s political-ad policy.

The announcement ends the tenure of one of Facebook’s earliest institutional backers while Thiel is directing attention toward political candidates. Meta later recorded the completed departure in coverage of Thiel leaving the board.

First-order effects

Meta loses a long-serving director whose counsel had extended to political strategy and the company’s stance on political advertising.
Thiel is freed from a formal Meta governance role as he backs politicians in the midterm elections.

Second-order effects

Meta’s board and Zuckerberg must absorb the loss of a director who had been a visible internal advocate for maintaining the political-ads policy.
Thiel’s political activity becomes more clearly separate from Meta’s boardroom, reducing the company’s direct governance tie to one of its most politically engaged directors.

Third-order effects

The exit points to a gradual remaking of Meta’s board away from its early-investor era; Meta’s later appointments of Broadcom CEO Hock E. Tan and John Arnold illustrate that succession process.
For major platforms, director turnover can increasingly determine how explicitly political viewpoints are represented in corporate governance rather than merely in public debate.

The trend: Big Tech boards are moving beyond founding-era investors as directors’ outside political roles and companies’ governance needs diverge.

Discussion

Vox Shirin Ghaffary on x
The most outspoken Trump supporter in Silicon Valley is leaving Facebook's board
@johnjcook John Cook on x
today i learned that peter thiel champions unfettered speech across digital platforms https://twitter.com/...
@donie @donie on x
Zuckerberg and Trump at dinner. I'd never seen this pic before — Thiel was also there and Facebook tried to keep the whole thing quiet. [Picture from Donald Trump's coffee table book]
@bfriedmandc Brandon Friedman on x
Zuckerberg thanked Thiel today for “teaching me so many lessons about business, economics and the world” https://twitter.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Peter Thiel didn't need to leave Facebook's board to focus on the midterms. But Thiel did need to leave Facebook's board to make it easier for many of his preferred candidates to take his money.
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
It is an utter disgrace that he should have remained there so long. Companies he financially supported & backed harvested & weaponised Facebook data even as his firm helped incarcerate children, hunt immigrants & sink its claws into the NHS https://www.nytimes.com/...
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
NEW: Peter Thiel, who has been a Facebook board member and Mark Zuckerberg adviser for almost 17 years, is leaving the company's board to push “Trump's agenda” in the 2022 election https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x
Peter Thiel is resigning to spend more time with disinformation. By @RMac18 & @MikeIsaac https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jeffbercovici Jeff Bercovici on x
also worth remembering that Thiel personally disdains social media, including Facebook. he was in it this long for the opportunity to exert influence over something that play(s/ed) a huge role in shaping culture and politics
@chafkin Max Chafkin on x
This is a big deal—culmination of years of tension between Thiel and zuck, and of course Thiel's increasing political activity https://twitter.com/...
@owillis Oliver Willis on x
thiel is like a bond villain and he's been bankrolling the right https://twitter.com/...
@thatrosschap Ross Anderson on x
Huge news; and somewhat validates an argument that @chafkin made in his biography (that I was highly skeptical of) that Thiel's political ambitions are highly central in his thinking and planning, and not simply a side exercise/hobbie. https://twitter.com/...
@jason @jason on x
My take: @PeteTheil will be deeply involved in, or part of, the next administration. A little distance from $FB makes a lot of sense... i.e. “I haven't been on the board for two years” https://twitter.com/...
@zerohedge @zerohedge on x
Boom: *PETER THIEL TO LEAVE META BOARD TO PURSUE TRUMP POLITICAL AGENDA
@fboversight @fboversight on x
Thiel capitalized on that relationship and gamed Silicon Valley in Trump's favor heading into the 2016 and (failing) in the 2020 election, pushing Zuckerberg to make decisions that favored Trump. https://t.co/ocuBIEvBJd
@williamturton William Turton on x
Thiel is coming out as explicitly pro-coup. Not that it's much of a surprise. https://twitter.com/...
@thor_benson Thor Benson on x
Isn't that what he was doing at Facebook https://twitter.com/...
@fboversight @fboversight on x
America is better off without him on the Facebook board. Then again, America is better off without Facebook. (2/2)
@teddyschleifer Teddy Schleifer on x
I say finally because this was a long, long time coming. In many ways, it's shocking this didn't happen earlier.
@ldrogen Leigh Drogen on x
When I look at Peter Thiel, I see the “mega fuck you money” version of all the other techno-libertarian pricks who are absolutely would-be fascists They don't believe in Trump's bullshit, but they are so craven for power that they'll ride it all the way to goose stepping https://…
@parkermolloy Parker Molloy on x
After successfully completing his years-long mission to turn the site into a pure vessel of right-wing propaganda, his work there is done https://twitter.com/...
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
Specifically he wants to focus on backing JD Vance and Blake Masters in U.S. senate races. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@nancyscola Nancy Scola on x
One key takeaway from @chafkin's book is that Thiel has always been a political creature who dabbled in tech as much as anything else. https://twitter.com/...
@fboversight @fboversight on x
End of an Error. Thiel used his influence on the Facebook Board to advance his own companies and politics. A noted figure in the conservative political landscape, Thiel pushed Zuckerberg to make decisions that were favorable to his politics. (1/2) https://twitter.com/...
@martinsfp Martin Sfp Bryant on x
I suppose it's progress of sorts that leaving Meta's board for political reasons is a thing: Peter Thiel is leaving Meta's board so he can support Trump-aligned candidates https://www.nytimes.com/...
@chafkin Max Chafkin on x
while i was writing my book a thing I kept thinking about is: how the hell is this guy still on the board of Facebook. Well...https://www.bloomberg.com/ ...
@nytimes @nytimes on x
The billionaire Peter Thiel, an early Facebook investor, is stepping down from the board of its parent company, Meta. He is said to be focused on backing Trump allies for the midterm elections in November. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
This has long been an expectation in Thiel world and his position on the board became very awkward as he shoveled money to midterm GOP candidates calling for Meta/FB to be regulated. Now, Thiel gets to lob bombs and not worry about the association. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@jeffbercovici Jeff Bercovici on x
the conflicts/tensions stuff is valid but not new. this guy rode out disclosures that he hangs out with white nationalists, funds a literal slavery advocate who's also his pal, etc. - all while FB was supposedly in the thrall of woke employees. his grip on that seat was iron
@fboversight @fboversight on x
Senator Cantwell made Zuckerberg squirm when asked about his close relationship and Cambridge Analytica's close relationship with Thiel and Palantir, one of Thiel's companies https://t.co/zYmMwGowxa
@fboversight @fboversight on x
And while he was influencing Zuckerberg, Thiel also shared a close relationship with the former President in the White House... https://t.co/VGSrTVpTVH
@rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
Not to mention the various financial conflicts that Thiel had in funding companies like Clearview AI and Boldend that directly violated the terms of service of FB/Meta products. https://twitter.com/...
@joshtpm Josh Marshall on x
Peter Thiel leaving Facebook/Meta board, says he wants to spend more time with fascism https://www.nytimes.com/...
@epro Emil Protalinski on x
Even Peter Thiel is leaving Meta! “Mr. Thiel, 54, wants to focus on influencing November's midterm elections ... and he is backing candidates who support the agenda of former president Donald J. Trump.” Oh. https://twitter.com/...
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
Source tells @lizette_chapman Peter Thiel is leaving Meta's board to help push Trump's agenda in the coming elections. Story on @TheTerminal
@jeffbercovici Jeff Bercovici on x
hot take that's probably true: Peter Thiel finally relinquishing his Facebook board seat suggests he thinks Facebook's influence over politics and culture is on the wane for good
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
Thiel has been a controversial figure at Facebook/Meta for years, including his support of Trump in the run-up to 2016, when many in the tech industry were shocked with Trump as a candidate He's stepping away so his Trump support in 2022 doesn't become a distraction, source says
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
It wasn't a distraction in 2020 when Trump was literally running for office? https://twitter.com/...
@jeffbercovici Jeff Bercovici on x
Remember a few years ago when Thiel wrote a thing saying democracy was bad, and everyone was like “that's crazy, who could be against democracy?” And now it's the official stance of the Republican Party. You can't say the guy doesn't get results
@markhachman Mark Hachman on x
Is this the quiet part out loud? https://twitter.com/...
@aishaannhakim Aisha Hakim on x
he's leaving his day job of destroying democracy for his passion project of destroying democracy https://twitter.com/...
@joshua__frank Joshua Frank on x
The same day Peter Thiel announces he's leaving Meta's (Facebook) board to help Trump's alt-right agenda, we learn @joerogan is being pursued by the platform Rumble, which is financed by Thiel Capital, whose director is Eric Weinstein. 1/ https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
I mean, unless those platforms say something truthful about Thiel that he doesn't like. Then he finances secretive multi-million dollar lawsuits to destroy those platforms. Just saying. https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
Interesting to see that Thiel is stepping down from FB/Meta's board to focus on politics, but remains on the board of Palantir as chair. It certainly suggests that one position is still politically ok for him, while the other is no longer tenable.

Chronicles