Peter Thiel’s midterm bet: the billionaire seeking to disrupt America’s democracy

Re-energized this election cycle, the tech entrepreneur joins other mega-donors apparently out to undercut the political system

Peter Thiel is far from the first billionaire who has wielded his fortune to try to influence the course of American politics. But in an election year when democracy itself is said to be on the ballot, he stands out for assailing a longstanding governing system that he has described as deranged" and in urgent need of course correction".

The German-born investor and tech entrepreneur, a Silicon Valley disrupter" who helped found PayPal alongside Elon Musk and made his fortune as one of the earliest investors in Facebook, has catapulted himself into the top ranks of the mega-donor class by pouring close to $30m into this year's midterm elections.