Summary of Max Chafkin's The Contrarian

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 In 1980, Peter Thiel and a small group of eighth-grade boys were crammed around a table in a tiny box of a kitchen, their faces hidden behind three-ring binders that had been stood on end for privacy. Their eyes were trained on a map and a set of many-sided dice.

#2 Peter’s parents, Klaus and Susanne Thiel, had come to the United States in 1968 from Frankfurt, Germany. They were stern Republicans, and their son would absorb the sentiment.

#3 After moving to South Africa, Klaus was assigned to the Rössing Uranium Mine, which was a key part of the country’s nuclear weapons program. The family had a privileged position in comparison to the forced labor conditions of Black workers.

#4 When the family returned to Cleveland in 1972, Thiel was placed on a gifted and talented track at Bowditch Middle School, where he was widely understood to be the best. He didn’t care about being the smartest kid in the room.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669389293

IRB Media

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Insights on Max Chafkin's The Contrarian

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 18

Insights from Chapter 19

Insights from Chapter 20

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

In 1980, Peter Thiel and a small group of eighth-grade boys were crammed around a table in a tiny box of a kitchen, their faces hidden behind three-ring binders that had been stood on end for privacy. Their eyes were trained on a map and a set of many-sided dice.

#2

Peter’s parents, Klaus and Susanne Thiel, had come to the United States in 1968 from Frankfurt, Germany. They were stern Republicans, and their son would absorb the sentiment.

#3

After moving to South Africa, Klaus was assigned to the Rössing Uranium Mine, which was a key part of the country’s nuclear weapons program. The family had a privileged position in comparison to the forced labor conditions of Black workers.

#4

When the family returned to Cleveland in 1972, Thiel was placed on a gifted and talented track at Bowditch Middle School, where he was widely understood to be the best. He didn’t care about being the smartest kid in the room.

#5

When he wasn’t busy being the best at chess, Thiel immersed himself in worlds of fantasy and science fiction. He read Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, writers who conjured humanoid robots, space travel, moon settlements, and immortality.

#6

By his junior year, Thiel was good looking, with a defined jaw, an angular nose, and a sweep of light brown hair that he wore parted to the side. He was not confident so much as disdainful, walking around with an expression that said Fuck you, world.

#7

Thiel, who was already aloof, seemed indifferent to everything during his time at Stanford. He began talking about his side business, which was extremely risky, but not even remotely fazed him.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The Stanford commencement in 1907 featured Jordan giving a speech about the need for the graduating class to be free from government interference or regulation. He called them the final purpose of democracy, guardians of the rights of taxpayers, and watchdogs of the treasury.

#2

When he arrived at Stanford, in September 1985, Thiel was assigned