As far as I can ascertain, Peter Thiel* is the 103rd richest man on the planet, with a reported net worth of $20.5 bn US. How and why does his influence reach farther than so many others?

Those "richest people" lists are based on publicly known wealth, which is almost exclusively public stocks. There is a lot of dark money out there.

Oh yes, I'm aware. I'm sure I can't begin to fathom.
Almost all from non-Western countries, though. Putin isn't on the list and he has a house that's worth a billion, just on it's own. In the West, it's hard to make a billion dollars without leaving a very traceable footprint.

When you're in the top 5% it doesn't really matter where you rank. You will never have to worry about money ever again.

He is an oddity that became a tech press darling, i.e. somebody to report on although not everyone liked him, through PayPal and then his Facebook investment. So he occupied more press real estate than other, long forgotten silicon valley or hedge fund founders. But the fact that he was a founder and successful more often than not makes him the embodiment of the American dream. The immigrant kid that didn't enherit an emerald mine. The investor who didn't have to rely on daddy's wealth as much (or only) as 47. He stands out because he actually finished a degree, not like the Zuckerbergs and Gates of this world. I would say he's more intelligent than some of those people as well, possibly more strategic. And he has opinions, many of which are controversial to say the least. And if Melon Usk is an example of the in-your-face out-of-touch billionaire and Bill Gates an example of the more reserved out-of-touch do-gooder, Thiel is the more reserved out-of-touch do-weird-shitter. He doesn't mind the limelight but he doesn't really seek it. The Melon shows no signs any more of any long-term planning. Like a bladder weakened by ketamine use he just pisses all over everything he happens to stand next to. Gates has an agenda and applies his wealth strategically - and whatever your opinion about the good he actually does - the intention is to do good. Thiel is like that but the intention is to do rightwing libertarian stuff. Quietly, if possible. But there are eyes on him because of his past press "career." And I didn't know about his sexual orientation until quite recently - why should anybody care? - but my guess is that a weird idea spouting gay conservative cannot escape the prying eyes of a, let's face it, predominantly heteronormative press completely. And if you mix this all up you can see why his name keeps popping up. Especially when you consider who presses the diet coke button in the white house.

His private bunker and shock collar apocalypse planning being reported got him on my radar. I can't give the first damn about his sexuality, and the politicians don't either. It's just something else to entertain the masses.
Race, and other privilege appear to matter, very much. Not as much as money, though.
It's telling Thiel finished education but discourages others. Maybe his Machiavellianism is the key?
- Maybe he likes being a tad unpredictable. If I had to choose if I wanted to be his friend or if I wanted to be stuck in an elevator with him for an hour, I'd clearly say neither, thanks. History will probably record him as a stirrup-holder of full born fascism.
When you're in the top 5% it doesn't really matter where you rank
Top 5% of the world is 250kUSD (1)

I think a lot of it is that he spends much more strategically and with lots of strings attached. He also does a lot of work to basically indoctrinate folks who aren't big players and fund them until they are - JD Vance being a prime example. He's basically developed into a cult leader for rich wannabes and ends up owning their asses.

I think a lot of things come with strings, often without being explicitly communicated, which has made me wary.

It's not about how much money he is holding, it's about how much he spent and where/to whom.

Are you sure he has more influence? If you were to rephrase this as "why does Peter Thiel get more media coverage than other billionaires" the answer would be very easy.

IIRC Bernard Arnault (number 5) has his paws on a ton of things in Europe, but you don't hear about it because he's just not that much of a nut.

I am french and definetly know about Bernard Arnault owned medias. I had never heard about Peter Thiel
- Interesting! He's infamous for his radical, often authoritarian-type ideas.
  There's Americans that are little heard-of higher on the list too, so my point stands. Arnault is just the richest one that's not well known in the anglosphere.
- That's the guy that took over lvmh? There's also that weird USA guy, I can't remember his last name, that (used to?) pal around with Thiel with Anti-Human ideas. Starts with a Y, I believe.
That's the thing. I don't recall Thiel getting much press until I started really honing in on him. I'm sure he probably did, but rather it's like the "new thing effect," where one doesn't notice a particular thing until one acquires that thing, then suddenly notices lots of those things, everywhere. But he does seem extraordinarily influential, whether it's just me beginning to notice or he actually is.
- He doesn't get as much as Musk, but in proportion to how rich he actually is, it's a lot.
  Funding steroid-allowed sporting events, saying monopolies are good and trying to build your own micronation(s) was always going to get people talking.

Money is not a measure of power. Power is always relational, positional. You can position yourself better and build relationships using money, but you can also waste a lot of it to gain very little power.

It's ultimately about what actions you enable for the people who side with you, and money is a great enabler, but if we are talking about private entrepreneurs, usually the vast majority of their wealth cannot be freely allocated to political projects, but it's blocked to generate further capital. The portion you decide to spend to garner political, social and mediatic capital, and how you spend it, matters more than your total wealth.

Leaving this as a mental note to explain how the tech capitalists in the US work because it's a pretty exceptional situation, also will answer the question about Islamic warfare in the other thread. It's just like 1:30 am here lol

Thank you so much. I'm slower and more dull as I age, so I'll ask forgiveness in advance for failure to grasp the obvious with speed.
- Don't worry about that!! I'm nice!!! Not trying to engage in Mind Warfare or whatever.

His sexual relations with musk has given him access to pillow talk that could take down so many people.