Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
Peter Thiel is “pro-crypto” and “pro-Bitcoin maximalist”, but he also thinks that cryptocurrency could undermine America.
Thiel, the venture capitalist and conservative political donor, called on the US government on Tuesday to consider stricter regulations on cryptocurrencies. The statements were apparently a change of heart for Thiel, who is a major investor in virtual currency businesses as well as in cryptocurrencies themselves.
‘I wonder if we should also think about Bitcoin [of] partly as a Chinese financial weapon against the US, ‘Thiel said during a virtual event held for members of the Richard Nixon Foundation. “It threatens fiat money, but it threatens the US dollar in particular.” He added: “[If] China’s long Bitcoin, perhaps from a geopolitical perspective, requires the US to ask some more difficult questions about exactly how it works. ‘
Thiel was accompanied by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien. The conversation between Thiel, who regularly criticized U.S. companies doing business with Beijing, and two former Falcons members of the Trump administration, was largely focused on US-China relations. It was moderated by Hugh Hewitt, the radio host and CEO of the Nixon Foundation. Forbes reported some details of the event earlier.
During the conversation, Thiel elaborated on the previous criticism of Alphabet Inc. ‘s Google, which he accused of working against US interests in a speech of 2019. On Tuesday, he added that he had urged employees in the company’s artificial intelligence division about whether to use their technology in the Xinjiang region of China, where the U.S. says the country has detained ethnic Uighurs in internment camps. to genocide. The answer, Thiel said, was, “Well, we do not really know – and do not ask any questions.” Thiel continues: “You have this almost magical thinking that by pretending that everything is fine, this is how you get involved and have a conversation.” China has denied abuse of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang, and Google has said it does not work with the Chinese military.
Thiel, who left Silicon Valley in 2018 dramatically and complained that it had become a ‘one-party state’, did not limit himself to criticism of Google. He suggested that the US investigation into US technology companies should also include Apple Inc. should include, pointing out that the company manufactures most of its appliances in China, where labor standards are lower than in the US and Europe. ‘Apple is probably the one [tech company] it’s structurally a real problem “for US interests, he said. “Apple is the synergy with China.”
Thiel also suggested that the US should follow India to TikTok, the social app launched by Chinese company ByteDance Ltd. possession, to forbid, and what he calls ‘this kind of incredible information about people’. Thiel noted that if banned, TikTok would probably be replaced by similar programs, as happened in India. “I do not think it was like a huge loss in India,” he said.
The TikTok comment joins the messages of Facebook Inc., where Thiel sits on the board of directors. Facebook portrayed TikTok as a threat to US values. But Thiel also criticized Facebook itself for cultivating a vigilant politics, noting that the company refused last year to take a firm stand on protests in Hong Kong. “There were more employees on Facebook who were born in China than in Hong Kong,” he said. ‘And the Chinese citizens actually said it was just Western arrogance, and [the company] should not tackle the Hong Kong side … And the rest of the employees at Facebook stayed with it. ”
Thiel also criticized Facebook – along with other tech companies – for deploying President Trump, a reference to the company’s decision. to ban President Donald Trump for the agitation of the storm on January 6 of the American Capitol. “There was absolute censorship,” Thiel said. “And if you do that with the President of the United States, it feels like you’d really crossed a kind of Rubicon.”
The appearance with Pompeo could have consequences for the presidential race in 2024. The former foreign minister is widely seen as a possible candidate for the Republican nomination – and Thiel has shown a willingness to support figures that are now in line with Trump . He was a key pillar of Trump in 2016 and recently donated $ 10 million to a PAC supporting the potential Senate candidate of JD Vance, a writer and conservative political figure who previously worked at a Thiel-backed venture capital fund has.
(Update members with context and add video.)