Billionaire Peter Thiel Insulted Chicago In A Room Full Of Chicagoans

By Sarah Gouda in News on Sep 15, 2016 4:35PM

Peter Thiel / Wikipedia

Cartoon villain Peter Thiel descended upon Chicago earlier this week to test out how it feels to be reviled next to a freshwater lake instead of his usual ocean. Seems like it went swimmingly. He got the chance to unleash some of his signature awful during a talk at Roosevelt University, when he implied that no person of worth could ever possibly live in Chicago, the third-most populous city in the country. What a charmer.

“If you are a very talented person, you have a choice: You either go to New York or you go to Silicon Valley,” the 48-year-old Paypal founder told the crowd, which consisted primarily of hacks foolish enough to live in this destitute, Midwestern shantytown. He apparently was there to discuss the “state of the American Dream.” Seriously.

One of the audience members worked up the nerve to ask, “Who comes to Chicago if first-rate people go to New York or Silicon Valley?” to which Thiel reportedly replied “I didn’t, I didn’t, I didn’t say that!”

For a quick refresher, Thiel is the conservative billionaire who bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media, which culminated in the site shutting down earlier this year. His distaste for Gawker began after it published details about his dating life in 2007, and he’s actively been trying to take it down ever since. Thief’s successful attempt to silence the media company has led to a nationwide discussion around the dangers that inordinate amounts of money and influence pose to free speech.

The ardent Trump supporter concluded his talk at Roosevelt University by saying he “doesn’t know exactly what Chicago should be doing right now.” Hmm, it’s cool Pete, we’ll take it from here.

[HT Tribune]