thiel was born in frankfurt. as a baby, he moved with his family to the united states. he spent some time in southern africa. he studied philosophy at stanford university, graduating with a b.a. in 1989. he then went on to the stanford law school and received his j.d. in 1992. he worked as a lawyer, speechwriter, and trader. he founded thiel capital in 1996. he co-founded paypal in 1999. he was chief executive officer until he sold the company to ebay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.