On the podcast this week, Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, early investor in Facebook, and president of Clarium Capital, discusses the stagnation of technological innovation. Thiel gives reasons why innovation has slowed recently — offering examples of stalled sectors such as space exploration, transportation, energy, and biotechnology — while pointing out that growth in internet-based technologies is a notable exception. He aslo comments on political undercurrents of Silicon Valley, government regulation, privacy and Facebook, and his new fellowship program that will pay potential entrepreneurs to “stop out” of school for two years.
Related Links
- “Technology = Salvation”, Wall Street Journal interview with Thiel
- “Investor Peter Thiel asks Silicon Valley: Where’s the innovation?”, L.A. Times
- “The Education of a Libertarian”, by Thiel
- “Peter Thiel Makes Down Payment on Libertarian Ocean Colonies”, Wired
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The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.
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