If you guessed that they are all tech-industry insiders (and men), you’re only partially correct.
Thiel’s endorsement of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, and his speech at the Republican National Convention, are considered key factors in Trump’s improbable path to victory. Nine years later, Thiel isn’t a visible part of Trump 2.0—but his fingerprints are everywhere.
Networks are powerful. And Thiel has long been at the center of some of the tech industry’s most influential ones.
A conservative libertarian who has supported causes ranging from autonomous floating societies, via the Seasteading Institute, to scientific research via his Breakout Labs initiative (essentially a seed fund for hard science), Thiel took a step back as a donor in the 2024 election cycle. In an interview with Fortune two years ago he said he wasn’t convinced money mattered all that much in presidential politics. It turns out he had something that might be better: connections.
Thiel may not be the face of this administration—but it’s the network he has assembled over his career that’s staffing it.
This article appears in the June/July 2025 issue of Fortune with the headline “Peter Thiel’s deep state: A common thread runs through Trump’s tech team.”
