Power 50: Peter Thiel

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With its lure of big bucks to quit school, the Thiel Foundation continues to persuade ambitious college students to drop out and pursue their startup dreams instead of a degree. The devout libertarian, and co-founder of PayPal, is known for his unpredictable gift-giving and has already donated millions to one failed Republican candidate, Carly Fiorina. Not all his risky bets pay off.