Peter Thiel, co-founder and president of Palantir Technologies Inc., speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, November 18, 2019.
Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Technology investor Peter Thiel has criticized major US technology companies for being too close to China in a Tuesday appearance at a virtual event sponsored by the Richard Nixon Foundation.
Thiel, who co-founded PayPal and is on Facebook’s board of directors after making an early investment, is an open voice in the world of technology investing, being known for opposing views and conservative leanings. He has supported defense contractors such as Palantir and publicly supported the 2016 campaign of former President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, the Nixon session focused on China and was joined by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.
Thiel criticized Google for its work on artificial intelligence with Chinese universities, in part because of conversations it claimed to have with those inside the company, according to a transcript of the event reviewed by CNBC.
“Because everything in China is a civil-military merger, Google is actually working with the Chinese military, not the US military,” Thiel said. It’s also sad that Google’s “insiders” told him they worked with the Chinese because “they thought they could offer the technology on the front door, because if they didn’t give it – it would be stolen anyway.”
Thiel had previously criticized Google in 2019, saying the FBI and CIA should investigate Google and ask if it was compromised by Chinese spies.
A Google spokesman said at the time, “As I said earlier, we are not working with the Chinese military.”
Thiel also said that Apple is unlikely to face China due to its massive supply chain for the manufacture of iPhones and other products in the country. He noted that other large technology companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft do not have as extensive commercial interests in the country in some cases because the Chinese government has restricted what they can do there.
He called on the US to put “a lot of pressure” and control on Apple because of its supply chain in the country.
“Apple is probably the one that structurally is a real problem, because the entire iPhone supply chain is made in China, “Thiel said.” Apple is one that has real synergies with China. “
He also appeared to change his position on Bitcoin during the discussion. Thiel has invested in Bitcoin companies and previously said it is “long bitcoin” and considers it the “digital equivalent of gold”.
On Tuesday, Thiel said Bitcoin threatens the US dollar.
“Even though I am a pro-crypto, pro-Bitcoin maximist, I wonder if at this moment Bitcoin should also be considered partly a Chinese financial weapon against the US, where it threatens fiat money, but especially threatens the US dollar, and China wants to do things to weaken it, so China’s long Bitcoin, “Thiel said.