Venture Capitalist/Hedge Fund Manager, 44
It took a gay, libertarian entrepreneur to realize the nascent power of Facebook in 2004, when the PayPal cofounder became the social network's first major investor, with a $500,000 loan that enabled Mark Zuckerberg to realize world domination. That stake is now worth $2.13 billion, allowing Thiel to pursue loftier projects, including research into life extension and his incentive scheme for would-be entrepreneurs under the age of 20: $100,000 to drop out of college and launch their own businesses.




























The racist, homophobic, and frightening arrest of Don Lemon
Opinion: It’s not a coincidence or an accident that Lemon, and other Black journalists were targeted by the Trump Justice Department, writes John Casey.