Peter Thiel and the Antichrist
Plus, AI’s world-model playgrounds, the brewing Zuck vs. Musk battle and a look at AI’s spending problem, in this edition of the Technology newsletter
For about a year now, Peter Thiel—billionaire tech investor, devout Christian, major GOP kingmaker—has been publicly laying out his understanding of biblical prophecies and how he thinks the world might end.
We reviewed his recent lectures to piece together Thiel’s theological theories. First, existential risks will present themselves in the form of nuclear war, environmental disaster, dangerously engineered bioweapons and even autonomous AI-guided killer robots.
As humans race toward a last battle—the Armageddon—a one-world government will form, promising peace and safety. In Thiel’s reckoning, this totalitarian authoritarian regime, with real teeth and real power, will be the coming of the modern-day Antichrist.
This month, Thiel is expanding on these talks by leading a closed, four-part lecture series in the heart of San Francisco. The second lecture happened this past Monday, and the series will end in early October.
Given Thiel’s investments in not just any tech, but in data, AI, defense and weapons development, I was curious to understand what else he might add to his biblical interpretations. So I interviewed people who know Thiel, those who don’t but are attending the lecture series and even some Christian ministers—and I listened to hours of Thiel’s past talks on the Antichrist—to make sense of it all.