one other visible strand: thiel has kinda sorta grant program where he pays people to not to got to university and instead do anything else. this way he funded a couple of people from extended rationalist universe and some cryptobros
e: oh well
In early February 2025, Elon Musk used several Thiel Fellows in an attempt to take over operations of the Department of the Treasury through the Trump Administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).[9]