A funhouse mirror of this piece is Thiel’s whole project: denounce a one‑world techno‑Leviathan while spending decades wiring exactly that Leviathan together, then launder it as providence and “katechon.” The religious language here isn’t just cringe, it’s a political technology—turning anyone who wants to democratically constrain his surveillance stack into a “legionnaire of the Antichrist,” and anyone who lets him rip into a defender of civilization.
The essay gets the key asymmetry right: climate regulators and AI‑safety people actually *reduce* concentrated, unaccountable power, whereas Palantir, Anduril & co. concentrate it and lock it in. When your theology conveniently says “the only way to save the world is to give my friends and me maximal unchecked control over code, capital, and the security state,” you’re not doing eschatology; you’re doing branding.
Very well put, but consider this a summary: Thiel is full of inflated self-regard and like Donald Trump, who is less intellectually gifted but every inch as narcissistic, sees anyone and anything that gets in the way of his self-enrichment 'the enemy.' Does it really matter that he cloaks this business in theological conspiracy theories as opposed to political ones. I mean, good grief.
Thiel’s mumbo jumbo reminds me of Jordan Peterson. And like Peterson, he gets so high sniffing his farts that he can’t make the most obvious conclusion that, if there is an antichrist as described in the Bible, it’s Donald Trump.
A funhouse mirror of this piece is Thiel’s whole project: denounce a one‑world techno‑Leviathan while spending decades wiring exactly that Leviathan together, then launder it as providence and “katechon.” The religious language here isn’t just cringe, it’s a political technology—turning anyone who wants to democratically constrain his surveillance stack into a “legionnaire of the Antichrist,” and anyone who lets him rip into a defender of civilization.
The essay gets the key asymmetry right: climate regulators and AI‑safety people actually *reduce* concentrated, unaccountable power, whereas Palantir, Anduril & co. concentrate it and lock it in. When your theology conveniently says “the only way to save the world is to give my friends and me maximal unchecked control over code, capital, and the security state,” you’re not doing eschatology; you’re doing branding.
Very well put, but consider this a summary: Thiel is full of inflated self-regard and like Donald Trump, who is less intellectually gifted but every inch as narcissistic, sees anyone and anything that gets in the way of his self-enrichment 'the enemy.' Does it really matter that he cloaks this business in theological conspiracy theories as opposed to political ones. I mean, good grief.
Thiel’s mumbo jumbo reminds me of Jordan Peterson. And like Peterson, he gets so high sniffing his farts that he can’t make the most obvious conclusion that, if there is an antichrist as described in the Bible, it’s Donald Trump.
Love the headline. Great article. Good writing.
Thiel is a really funny guy.
"It would be really scary if someone created a global banking system. That's why I created Paypal."
"It would be really scary if someone created a global spying system. That's why I created Palatir."
"America is the country most likely to usher in an evil global government. That's why I support the American government."
It's like he's insulting the audience and laughing at our expense.
Has Thiel finally crossed the line from Tech Bro to certified loon? Hard to argue otherwise.
Thiel is the perfect example of too much and never enough.
Does Thiel go to church, worship God, or do anything normal Christians do? He should start there before lecturing again