Fact-Check: "LinkedIn was founded by Peter Thiel"
What We Know
The claim that "LinkedIn was founded by Peter Thiel" is inaccurate. LinkedIn was founded in December 2002 by Reid Hoffman, along with co-founders Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly, and Jean-Luc Vaillant. The platform was officially launched in May 2003 and has since grown to become one of the largest professional networking sites in the world (LinkedIn - Wikipedia).
Peter Thiel, a prominent entrepreneur and venture capitalist, is known for co-founding several successful companies, including PayPal and Palantir Technologies. He was also the first outside investor in Facebook (Peter Thiel - Wikipedia). While Thiel has invested in LinkedIn and supported various startups, he did not play a role in its founding (Peter Thiel – Founders Fund).
Analysis
The assertion that Thiel founded LinkedIn appears to stem from a misunderstanding of his role in the tech industry. Thiel is indeed a significant figure in Silicon Valley, having co-founded PayPal and invested in numerous startups, including LinkedIn. However, the distinction between founding a company and investing in it is crucial.
Thiel's involvement with LinkedIn was as an early investor rather than a founder. This is corroborated by multiple sources that highlight his investment activities and contributions to various tech companies, including LinkedIn, but do not attribute the founding of LinkedIn to him (Peter Thiel - Wikipedia, Peter Thiel – Founders Fund).
The reliability of the sources cited is high, as they include well-established platforms like Wikipedia and the official Founders Fund website, which provide verified information about Thiel's career and contributions to the tech industry.
Conclusion
The claim that "LinkedIn was founded by Peter Thiel" is False. While Thiel has made significant contributions to the tech industry and has invested in LinkedIn, he did not co-found the platform. The actual founders of LinkedIn are Reid Hoffman and his team, who launched the site in 2003. Misattributing the founding of a company to an investor can lead to confusion about the roles individuals play in the tech ecosystem.
