Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is set to make history when he delivers his prime-time remarks Thursday night at the Republican convention. The openly gay entrepreneur who financially backed Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker is ready to rock the boat, and apparently Donald Trump is down with that.
When the Trump campaign released the list of speakers at this week's RNC convention in Cleveland, Thiel was among the names that raised eyebrows.
The co-founder of PayPal is a delegate for Trump but also represents an industry that's lined up solidly against the soon-to-be Republican nominee. In fact, about 140 Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, recently published a letter warning that a Trump presidency would be ruinous for the tech industry and all it stands for.
"He (Trump) campaigns on anger, bigotry, fear of new ideas and new people, and a fundamental belief that America is weak and in decline," they wrote. "We have listened to Donald Trump over the past year and we have concluded: Trump would be a disaster for innovation."
Thiel has gotten not just a prime-time speaking slot, but he's scheduled for Thursday night, when ratings will no doubt be highest. He is scheduled just three speakers before Trump accepts his party's nomination. So how will he use that seven minutes he's been allotted?