Peter Thiel, Silicon Valley billionaire and advisor to former President Donald Trump, is leaving the board of directors of Facebook parent company Meta. The company said Monday that Thiel will stay on until Meta's next shareholder meeting later this year, where he will not stand for reelection. Thiel joined Facebook's board in 2005, a year after the company was founded and seven years before its made its debut on Wall Street. But he has been an increasingly polarising figure among the company's directors due to his conservative politics.
The latest news added to whispers about Thiel's possible political ambitions. The New York Times reported that Thiel wanted to focus on influencing November’s midterm elections, and that he sees the midterms as crucial to changing the direction of the country. The publication reported that Thiel is backing candidates who support the agenda of former President Donald J. Trump.
Thiel, in 2018, pledged to support Trump's 2020 campaign. Thiel also made donations of $10 million each to help J.D. Vance and Blake Masters win seats in the Senate from Ohio and Arizona respectively. Whether or not Thiel has political ambitions is unclear as of now.
"Peter is truly an original thinker who you can bring your hardest problems and get unique suggestions," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. He has served on our board for almost two decades, and we've always known that at some point he would devote his time to other interests.
Meta Platforms Inc. did not say what Thiel planned to do after his director stint is over.
In a statement, Thiel said It has been a privilege to work with one of the great entrepreneurs of our time. Mark Zuckerberg's intelligence, energy, and conscientiousness are tremendous.
-Inputs from AP
