Peter Thiel’s $100,000 Offer to Skip College Is More Popular Than Ever – By Gregory Zuckerman (Wall Street Journal) / Feb 24, 2024
More Americans are rethinking the value of a college education
Peter Thiel is trying harder than ever to get young people to skip college.
Since 2010, Thiel, an early Facebook investor and a founder of PayPal Holdings, has offered to pay students $100,000 to drop out of school to start companies or nonprofits.
Early on, he met intense criticism. Some accused Thiel, who holds philosophy and law degrees from Stanford, of hypocrisy. Others said it was wrong to discourage young people from finishing their education. Former Harvard University President Lawrence Summers called it the “single most misdirected bit of philanthropy in this decade.”
In the next few weeks, Thiel’s program will announce 20 new fellows, chosen from an applicant pool that is bigger than ever. Winners plan to launch companies in hot areas including artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies, according to executives of the program.
