Hasta la vista?
Billionaire investor Peter Thiel reportedly moved his family from the US to Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires as a refuge from high taxes, political turmoil and potential catastrophes like nuclear war and an AI meltdown.
The PayPal co-founder and longtime Silicon Valley power player has met privately with Argentine President Javier Milei, purchased a mansion in one of Buenos Aires’ most exclusive neighborhoods and temporarily relocated his family to the South American nation, according to the New York Times.
Sources told the paper that Thiel made the move due to concerns about the political direction of the US, especially in California, where over half of voters support a proposed wealth tax on billionaires.
The investor became more interested in Argentina as the proposal gained traction and was considering cutting ties with California by the end of last year, the Times reported.
His private investment firm, Thiel Capital, opened an office in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood on Dec. 31 as Californians weighed the proposed tax — which threatened the investor with a whopping, 10-figure tax bill, according to Bloomberg.
Not least of Thiel’s concerns is the possibility of nuclear warfare in the Northern Hemisphere — making a relatively far-flung corner of South America an appealing option, the Times reported.
Other members of the global elite, like Thiel buddy Martin Varsavsky, are of the same mind, according to the article.
“The moment China takes Taiwan or Russia takes Lithuania, I’m in Buenos Aires,” Varsavsky, a Spanish-Argentine tech entrepreneur, was quoted as saying. “It’s good to have a Plan B for civilization.”
Thiel has reportedly enrolled his kids in a Buenos Aires school and bought a plot of land in nearby Uruguay, too.
Thiel, a supporter of President Trump’s, has also forged close ties with Milei, the libertarian whose crusade against taxes, regulation and government spending closely aligns with Thiel’s own worldview, according to the Times.
They first met in 2024, and Thiel has since held private meetings with the leader, the paper reported.
Argentina’s government is considering offering Thiel citizenship or permanent residency, a person familiar with his plans told the Times, though a Milei spokesperson denied that.
The move is in keeping with a life of globe-trotting for Thiel.
He was born in Germany, raised in the US and obtained New Zealand citizenship in 2011 under a special provision that allowed the government to grant him a passport despite not meeting the country’s usual residency requirements, the Times noted.
He later sought citizenship in Malta, according to previous reports, fueling criticism that the billionaire was assembling a portfolio of fallback jurisdictions in the event conditions deteriorated elsewhere.
In recent years, Thiel has increasingly invoked religious and apocalyptic themes in public appearances.
During interviews and speeches, he has often spoken about the Antichrist and warned that fear of existential threats could be used to justify the creation of a “one-world” government with sweeping powers.
The Times reported that those interests have followed him to Buenos Aires.
At a recent dinner hosted at his mansion, the conversation reportedly turned to the Antichrist, a topic that has become one of the billionaire’s favorite subjects.
The Post has sought comment from Thiel.