Overview

• Reuters obtained transcripts and audio from a closed, four-part lecture series Thiel delivered in San Francisco in September.
• In those remarks, Thiel recounts urging Musk to exit the Giving Pledge, saying pledged wealth could flow to “left-wing nonprofits” chosen by Bill Gates.
• Thiel says he cited actuarial tables showing the odds of Musk’s death implied roughly $1.4 billion going to Gates, prompting Musk to ask, “What am I supposed to do—give it to my children?”
• The lectures also outline Thiel’s theological-political view of a potential “Antichrist” who could consolidate global power and curb individual freedoms.
• Spokespeople for Thiel, Musk and Gates did not comment to Reuters, and there is no independent confirmation that Musk has left or will leave the pledge.