Peter Thiel isn’t just skeptical of The Giving Pledge—he’s been actively working to dismantle it from within, telling signatories to walk away from their commitments and calling the organization an “Epstein-adjacent, fake Boomer club.”
Thiel said he’s had conversations with some signatories who have expressed uncertainty about their original decisions to commit. “Most of the ones I’ve talked to have at least expressed regret about signing it,” he said.
“Discussion about the role of philanthropy is inevitable and welcome,” Taryn Jensen, interim Giving Pledge lead, said in a note to Fortune. “In its early years, the Giving Pledge helped build norms where few existed.” Jensen added that many of the Giving Pledge signatories have already met their commitments, with others still actively working toward them.
“That brings more resources to the world’s greatest challenges,” she said. “Our goal is to keep building a culture where giving is the norm and to provide the support that helps turn commitment into action.”
Still, philanthropy remains robust. The Giving Pledge notes that more than half of the Pledge community last year participated in Giving Pledge events, or learning sessions.
“Early on, I contemplated various grand philanthropic plans,” he said in a letter to shareholders last year. “Though I was stubborn, these did not prove feasible.”
