PeterThiel
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Palmer Luckey chases government contracts with 'virtual wall'
When you hear talk of a border wall, you typically picture an actual, physical construction. But that's not the case for Palmer Luckey. The Oculus co-founder and his startup Anduril Industries have been working on a virtual wall -- one complete with cameras, sensors and VR -- with the aim of scoring a US defense contract and providing border security at a fraction of the cost of a physical wall. Luckey discussed plans for this technology last year, but now it's being tested, both officially and unofficially, and it's catching the eye of US officials.
Facebook already hit with four lawsuits over Cambridge Analytica (updated)
It has been a week since the bombshell reports on Cambridge Analytica's use of Facebook user data dropped and already the social media giant is facing at least four lawsuits. Along with a class action suit filed earlier this week on behalf of Facebook users whose data was obtained by Cambridge Analytica, three shareholders have also filed their own complaints.
Thiel-Hogan vs. Gawker saga to get the TV and movie treatment
Two production outfits are planning to make films tackling the Peter Thiel-backed Hulk Hogan case that brought down the once-thriving online media company Gawker. And one of them is exploring the idea of creating a miniseries instead. Modern Family director Jason Winer has just signed on to direct the one being by produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan (Chicago, Hairspray, Footloose). It's currently entitled Gawker v. Thiel, and will focus on players behind the scenes, including Gawker owner Nick Denton, the editor who published the Hulk Hogan sex tape that started it all (A.J. Daulerio) and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, who financed Hogan's legal battle against the website that outed him years ago.
Peter Thiel might be getting out of Silicon Valley
The Wall Street Journal reports today that Peter Thiel -- billionaire, investor and Gawker-killer -- might be cutting many of his ties with Silicon Valley. The paper spoke to sources it says are familiar with Thiel and his plans and they said that the shift is largely due to the Bay Area's left-leaning politics and what Thiel sees as its intolerance for conservative views. Supposedly, he's considering leaving Facebook's board and plans to move to Los Angeles. Thiel Capital and Thiel Foundation, companies that manage his investments, may also be relocated to LA.
Tech incubator Y Combinator severs ties with Peter Thiel
It's safe to say that Peter Thiel's relationship with the tech industry has been... contentious. His wealth and willingness to invest have made him highly influential, but his eagerness to stifle media criticism and (at least for a time) support President Trump have put him at odds with a Silicon Valley culture that values things like immigration and renewable energy. However, it looks like he won't play as large a role as he once did. Gab and BuzzFeed News have discovered that Y Combinator, the primarily tech-focused startup incubator, quietly cut ties with Peter Thiel. His 2015 introductory post at Y Combinator now includes a message saying Thiel is "no longer affiliated" with the accelerator. It's not certain when this happened, but modifications to the post's web code last took place on October 30th.
Peter Thiel-backed bed sensor company Hello is put to sleep
In an announcement posted yesterday on Medium, Hello's founder James Proud said that his company would be shutting down. And Hello's product, the sleep monitor Sense, will be shutting down along with it.
Palmer Luckey wants to develop a ‘virtual’ border wall
Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Oculus, has revealed that he is working on a new startup that will develop virtual border wall technology. Luckey confirmed as much to The New York Times, which reported that he is in the early stages of building a platform that would automatically watch borders. The system would use a combination of infra-red sensors and LIDAR, the same light-detection gear found in most autonomous cars. The idea would be to use the technology to secure military installations, buildings and in place of a physical border wall.
Feds are using Palantir's tech to root out immigrants
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has yet another tool from Palantir to track and identify immigrants, according to The Intercept. Dubbed "Investigative Case Management" (ICM), it's a system that aggregates information from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation. More than that, it taps into data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives too, to provide ICE agents with everything from biometrics, family relationships and phone records on any given person -- citizen or immigrant. These tools aren't necessarily new -- some have been around for a handful of years -- it's just that now, they're being used by the ICE rather than just the Department of Homeland Security.
ACLU signs on with Y Combinator after $24 million donation
The ACLU, in an average year, fundraises around $4 million. After stridently opposing Trump's unconstitutional immigration ban last weekend, the civil liberties watchdog was rewarded by the American public with a windfall of donations totalling $24 million -- six times its average annual income. On Tuesday, startup accelerator Y Combinator announced that the ACLU is enrolling as part of its Winter 2017 class to figure out how to best utilize this monetary windfall.
Peter Thiel's startup helps authorities track illegal immigrants
Data-mining and analytics firm Palantir, co-founded by Gawker-bankrupting tech billionaire Peter Thiel, remains a secretive purveyor of intelligence-gathering tools. While a May report revealed the company's struggles retaining blue chip commercial clients, it still retains contracts with some government agencies. Recently-released documents uncover that the company has quietly provided assistance to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by contributing to an info analysis system that draws information from multiple law enforcement databases. This existing relationship could assist Trump in his stated plans to ramp up the US' immigration vetting process.
Peter Thiel pushes for commercial space flight in Trump's NASA
Peter Thiel is using his position in Trump's transition team to make sure commercial space grows even further under the new administration. A few weeks ago, the President-Elect named the first members of NASA's "landing team," who all seemed to favor a space agency that builds its own spacecraft and rockets with legacy government contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. According to The Wall Street Journal, though, Thiel "argued forcefully" for private space companies' place in Trump's NASA, essentially acting as the spokesperson for SpaceX's Elon Musk and Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos who share his concerns.
Peter Thiel named to Trump's presidential transition team
Avid Trump supporter Peter Thiel, he of the infamous Gawker lawsuit, is being rewarded in the Donald's new empire. In a press release, Trump announced that Vice President-Elect Mike Pence will lead Trump's transition team; assisting Pence is a host of other notables including the sycophantic trio of Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich. Also included in the list is Thiel; he'll be on the transition team's executive committee.
After Math: Politics as usual
It's been a crazy week for US politics, what with the end of the contentious 2016 election just around the corner. The New York Times announced that it would lower its paywall for the 72 hours surrounding election day while human dumpster fire Peter Thiel tried to explain away his support for Donald Trump. Security experts are also investigating why one of Trump's servers keeps pinging a Russian bank as the FBI investigates one of its own Twitter accounts for violations of the Hatch Act. And no, you still can't vote by phone, dummy. Numbers, because how else are you going to rig an election?
Gawker settles with Hulk Hogan for a reported $31 million
Since Gawker lost its court battle with Hulk Hogan back in June and filed for bankruptcy, it's been unclear just how much the former professional wrestler would get given the massive $140 million judgment awarded him. But today, the media company's cofounder and CEO Nick Denton announced that they've settled with the celebrity for $31 million.
The Morning After: Tuesday November 1st 2016
It's the morning after we were reminded that war is hell, sneakers can fit themselves and jingles don't last forever. We also reported on the quiet rise of the high-end tablet and the return of CD piracy. Join us below for everything you might have missed.
Peter Thiel's tech wealth made him a First Amendment gatekeeper
Peter Thiel built his fortune in Silicon Valley as a founder of PayPal, an early backer of Facebook and a venture capitalist focused on the technology industry. He's living proof of the Bay Area's ability to make billionaires of mortal men. Using a fraction of his tech billions, Thiel bankrolled Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media earlier this year, which eventually led to the company declaring bankruptcy and shutting down Gawker.com. Thiel had held a grudge against the site for years, after he claimed it outed him as gay in 2007. Since the Gawker ruling, Thiel has fielded questions about the ethics of a billionaire effectively using his money to shut down a news organization that he didn't like, a move that some argue violate the site's First Amendment rights. He's responded by calling his $10 million support of Hulk Hogan's lawsuit "one of [the] greater philanthropic things" that he's ever done. Thiel has also said he's backing other, similar lawsuits. During a Q&A session at the National Press Club today, Thiel explained three key things about the Gawker lawsuit:
Is tech billionaire Peter Thiel prepping for a life in politics?
"I occasionally get involved but don't want to make it a full time thing." That was how Peter Thiel answered a question about his future in politics today. But, after he spent roughly 15 minutes delivering what amounted to a polite version of Donald Trump's stump speech to the National Press Club, it's a little hard to take him at his word.
Supporting Peter Thiel isn't embracing 'diversity'
Presidential candidate Donald Trump has had a rough week. After a tape was revealed of him bragging that he could grab women "by the pussy" and get away with it, several former female acquaintances have come forward accusing him of sexual assault. But that hasn't stopped venture capitalist Peter Thiel, an ardent Trump supporter, from giving him $1.25 million this past weekend. It so happens that Thiel is also a part-time partner of startup incubator Y Combinator and a longtime member of Facebook's board of directors. Yet neither entity has rescinded its support of Thiel. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's reason? To protect those with "different viewpoints" in the name of "diversity."
Facebook chief explains why Peter Thiel is still on the board
Ever since Peter Thiel drove Gawker Media to bankruptcy in a bid to silence unfavorable press, many have been wondering: why is Facebook keeping Thiel on its board of directors when he's antithetical to the company's emphasis on free speech, and is an ardent Trump supporter? Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has finally broken the silence... but it's not going to make everyone happy. In a leaked post (Facebook has since confirmed that it's authentic), Zuckerberg claims that it's all about upholding diversity. You can't just stick up for people you already agree with, he argues -- you have to also protect the rights of people with "different viewpoints."
Project Include cuts ties with Y Combinator over Thiel and Trump
Project Include, a high-profile Silicon Valley diversity initiative, has officially cut ties with the influential Y Combinator venture incubator due to its ties to prominent Donald Trump supporter, Peter Thiel. The venture capitalist gave a speech at the Republican National Convention, and is reported to be offering a $1.25 million donation to Trump. Project Include cofounder Ellen Pao called it "a direct contribution to creating hate and instilling fear."
