Peter Thiel Returns To Stanford University As Star Lecturer

Peter Thiel (photo from vator.tv
and The Founders Fund)

Silicon Valley icon Peter Thiel, who made his first zillion with PayPal, has agreed to offer a lecture course at his alma mater, Stanford University. His course, to be held in the school's largest lecture hall, is fully booked at 250 paying customers. The story, as reported by Reuters, appeared in today's siliconvalley.com.

Thiel's decision struck some observers as a curious one, given the Bay Area investor's assertion that, for many, a college education is a waste of money and time. However, Stanford students who have the entrepreneurial fever are clearly flocking to listen to Thiel's ideas. Hopefully, some of them will quiz Thiel on his unabashed financial support for fellow libertarian Ron Paul.

One glamorous aspect of Thiel's class is the unannounced roster of guests he will include in his course. Speculation has centered on Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, quite possibly the world's richest college dropout, and Sean Parker, Silicon Valley's Prince of Darkness, for whom a sheepskin was something to cover his very active schwanz.