Doomsday plan? Tech billionaire and Palantir cofounder Peter Thiel relocates to Argentina
Venture capitalist Peter Thiel is reportedly putting down roots in Argentina. This reflects a broader trend of prominent American tech billionaires exploring safe havens in case things go south in the US.
Peter Thiel. Image by Nordin Catic/Getty Images for The Cambridge Union
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Venture capitalist Peter Thiel is reportedly putting down roots in Argentina. This reflects a broader trend of prominent American tech billionaires exploring safe havens in case things go south in the US.
- Tech billionaire Peter Thiel has relocated his family to Argentina and purchased a mansion in Buenos Aires.
- Thiel previously bought property in New Zealand, intended as a safe haven in case of societal collapse.
- An increasing number of American billionaires are exploring escape routes in anticipation of a potential doomsday, such as an AI takeover or nuclear war.
Thiel, a cofounder of PayPal and Palantir, is a major figure in tech globally, whose generous donations to the Republican Party in local and federal elections are also increasing his influence on US politics.
However, Thiel is now eyeing Argentina as a new home. He recently purchased a mansion in the country’s capital, Buenos Aires, where he temporarily relocated his family and enrolled his children in a local school, according to the New York Times (NYT).
Thiel’s move is partly motivated by concerns about the direction the US is heading and by a looming tax on billionaires in California, the state he currently resides in, if Democrats succeed in the midterm elections in November.
In Argentina, Thiel’s activity is not limited by what you expect from an average immigrant. The venture capitalist recently met the country’s president, Javier Milei, who shares libertarian views similar to Thiel's.
Since coming to power in 2023, Milei has conducted an overhaul of the country’s economy by aggressively pushing deregulation and cutting government spending.
In addition, sources told the NYT that Thiel and his husband had dinner at the home of Argentina’s deregulation minister, Federico Sturzenegger.
The Argentine government has allegedly considered offering the billionaire permanent residence or even citizenship, allegations that Milei’s spokesperson denied.
Billionaires are preparing for doomsday
While there may be more to Thiel’s relocation than fears over the US’s future, he isn’t the only tech billionaire exploring their options.
According to the NYT, a Spanish-Argentine tech entrepreneur has built a ranch in the Argentine city of Mendoza, calling it a potential shelter in case of World War III.
Thiel, whose previous warnings focused on the emergence of the modern-day Antichrist, obtained New Zealand citizenship in 2011 and purchased a 477-acre former sheep station there.
Sam Altman, now CEO of OpenAI, admitted to the New Yorker in 2016 that he had an arrangement with Thiel in the event of a societal collapse.
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For instance, if AI goes rogue, a new, dangerous virus spreads, or nuclear war breaks out, Thiel and Altman would take a private jet to Thiel’s property in New Zealand.
Bloomberg reported in 2018 that American billionaires started buying bunkers in New Zealand as part of their doomsday contingency plans.
The country’s Prime Minister, John Key, then described New Zealand as the last bus stop on the planet before you hit Antarctica.
Key told Boomberg, “I’ve had a lot of people say to me that they would like to own a property in New Zealand if the world goes to hell in a handbasket.”
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