Peter Thiel is known in Silicon Valley for having more than a few eccentricities. The man, for one, wants to live to be 120. He has convinced kids not to go to college. And he is a vocal supporter of the polarizing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Only recently too, Thiel's $140 million legal attack on Gawker Media, by way of a lawsuit filed by wrestler Hulk Hogan, caused the publication to go bankrupt, sending tremors throughout the media industry.
Thiel may find himself in the epicenter of controversy — especially for his supposed vendetta against Gawker Media for having revealed he was gay — but over at Facebook, it all seems business as usual for its longest-serving board member.
As one of the early backers of Facebook, Thiel was re-elected to his seat during a shareholders' meeting on Monday, a move that has drawn flak from media observers who now consider this man an opponent of the free press.
All the actions concerning Thiel, critics believe, run counter to the values Facebook supposedly upholds.
"Our mission," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg tells shareholders, "is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected."
To the outside world, Facebook's decision to keep a close tie with this controversial figure is, at the very least, uncanny. After all, the social network wields an influence on one-fifth of the world's population and claims to be inclusive and tolerant.
Unfriending Peter Thiel
But Thiel is not going anywhere, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg clarified at a tech conference earlier this month. And true enough, Zuckerberg, who continues to steer the ship with his voting rights, leveraged this same power to keep Thiel aboard. The CEO has relied heavily on Thiel's advice over the years.
"This contradicts the messages [Zuckerberg] has been sending about Facebook being open, inclusive, and unbiased," says Vivek Wadhwa of Stanford. Wadhwa is a fellow at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance.
At the shareholders' Q&A, not a word was said about Thiel's supposed attack on free speech. His name was only read during the announcement that eight board members were retained.
For corporate communications expert Paul Argenti, Thiel has no place on the board.
"When you realize the guy has values that run counter to what most of the people who support your organization or work for you believe," Argenti says, "you kick him off the board."
Sandberg maintains Thiel's actions are not "a Facebook thing."
Zuckerberg Still In Control
While Thiel was noticeably absent from the meeting, Zuckerberg found an avenue to prove once more his influence on the group. His vote gave him solid control of which proposals would see the light of day and which wouldn't.
Zuckerberg rejected calls from outside shareholders for the company to be more transparent with regard to sustainable practices, and accord equal pay to women employees.
Facebook also voted to create the new Class C non-voting stock, which essentially keeps Zuckerberg at the helm, where he intends to stay "for a very long time," he says.
