Valleywag
Why on earth is Silicon Valley's fastest-rising venture capitalist moving to New York? In the Valley, Peter Thiel is best known for his prescient investment in Facebook. His $500,000 grubstake is now worth $750 million on paper. And his Founders Fund may well revolutionize the venture-capital industry. But in real cash money, Thiel has made far more from Clarium Capital, the hedge fund he's operated since selling PayPal to eBay in 2002.
Clarium already has an office in New York, and Thiel an apartment there. So the move would have more of an effect on his employees than on Thiel. As brainy as the Valley is, financial expertise is still centered in New York, as are the deep pools of capital Thiel would tap. For Clarium's existing workers who might be asked to move, the prospect is unsettling.
There is one other aspect to Thiel's move that fascinates. I've been told Thiel has been dating Matt Danzeisen, a vice president at BlackRock, for some time and the handsome fellow pictured above to the right of Thiel. (No one has yet confirmed for me if they're still going steady.)
An acquaintance of Thiel scoffs at the idea that Thiel would do anything for romantic reasons. Thiel, he says, is an utterly rational thinker. But the heart is capable of its own rationalizations. The mere possibilty that Thiel might maximize happiness, rather than profit, is a comforting thought.
Comments
The kinder, gentler side of the 'Wag ;)
Yeah, Rand had no problems with her sex-life either.
Nothing wrong with aspiring to complete rationality (or objectivity). Foolish to claim to have obtained such a state.
"and Thiel an apartment there." - is Gawker slashing verb payouts to boost nouns?
@ck209: Redundancy adds nothing to prose.
The gay scene is so much better in NY than Silicon Valley
@Owen Thomas: prose?
@narnio: "Ordinary writing, as opposed to verse."
I know it sounds like I'm getting all sentimental and stuff... But my Gym just won't be the same without Thiel flexing his pecks *Sigh* :-P
In this market it's getting noticeably harder to raise capital on high risk ventures, so the move is probably wise.
So yeah, I go with Business move.
I had no idea Matt's a "VC" at BlackRock...
Welcome to NYC, Peter. We hope you enjoy your stay. Here are some quick tips for gay valley nerds in the big MRSA:
a) Unless you're over 55, do not set foot in the Townhouse. No matter how elegant their website suggests it might be - it's not.
b) Take the subway - it's not just for poor people around here. Unlike Muni, it actually runs and gets you places quickly. Heck, Bloomberg takes the subway and he has *a lot* more money than you. He may not be as cute, but he's definitely richer. And don't forget: the subway is a literal gold mine of Craigslist missed connections, an essential NYC food group.
c) Nobody here will know who you are, and they basically don't care about tech. So, when you're at Splash (Boysroom/Eagle/What are you into?) trying to pretend that you're not cruising the bartenders, just tell everyone you run a hedge fund. Trust me, it's easier that way.
@gabrielz: or tell them you're a "consultant." That tends to be the default response at Splash. Not that I know.
@gabrielz: Yes, welcome to Temptation Island... Also, it's probably best if he and his BF go to the same gym. Cuts down on sticky situation... Boyfriend, no. What? Hiiim?? We're just friends... Unless they're okay with that.
@Jory: I'm definitely going with the 'Consultant' line from now on...
It's worth a try.
oh my!
Don't you think an Objectivist would be into open relationships, @Andiamtellingyou? It seems consistent with their world view. :) I also started a group on Facebook called "Out in Tech" to discuss all these important topics...like where will Peter be living - TriBeCa or Chelsea?
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