Peter Thiel on College and Credentialism

Posted3 months agoActive3 months ago

copacopab

2 points

11 comments

twitter.comOtherstory

calmmixed

Debate

40/100

EducationCredentialismInnovation

Key topics

Education

Credentialism

Innovation

Peter Thiel discusses the value of college and credentialism, sparking a discussion on the role of formal education in achieving success.

Snapshot generated from the HN discussion

Discussion Activity

Moderate engagement

First comment

N/A

Peak period

0-2h

Avg / period

3.7

Comment distribution11 data points

Loading chart...

Based on 11 loaded comments

Key moments

01Story posted
Oct 19, 2025 at 1:13 PM EDT
3 months ago
Step 01
02First comment
Oct 19, 2025 at 1:13 PM EDT
0s after posting
Step 02
03Peak activity
9 comments in 0-2h
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03
04Latest activity
Oct 20, 2025 at 1:09 PM EDT
3 months ago
Step 04

Generating AI Summary...

Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns

Discussion (11 comments)

Showing 11 comments

copacopabAuthor

3 months ago

1 reply

Useful clip that clarifies PT's sincere position on the importance of college and elite credentialism.

techblueberry

3 months ago

2 replies

What I get out of this is a sincere position that “we’re good and you’re bad and we’re smart and you’re dumb and not going to college is great if you agree with me, but if you don’t agree with me, that’s evidence you’re an idiot.”

It’s very weird because they’ll argue whatever they argue because it’s convenient. Either Trump is good because he’s a credentialed elite, or he’s good because he trusts his gut and common sense over intellectualism.

There is no part of this argument that I think is authentic, objectively applied or made in good faith, and actually, I’m not even sure he presents a cohesive argument in his own words here.

copacopabAuthor

3 months ago

2 replies

Trump extremely clearly got in as a nepo kid, so I'd discard him in this argument.

Personally, I find PT's argument sincere that good colleges do measure something important -- even if you disagree with his takes and arguments. I agree with you that his point lost cohesiveness when Bari asked him. He prevaricated -- to a random point on Democrats -- when asked because he didn't want to spell out "Yes, actually, prestige does matter a lot." Something that most, including the hosts of this great blog, agree on tacitly.

techblueberry

3 months ago

1 reply

What is a “good college” though (to Peter Thiel), Peter Thiel is like the originator of the idea that elite credentialism is a negative indicator in modern society. So probably not any of the institutions like Harvard or Penn or Yale that he mentions in this speech.

copacopabAuthor

3 months ago

A college where in order to get in you have to show you've been diligent on grades, extracurriculars, and testing for 18 years straight. Ofc exceptions to this, like Trump; but most of the student body of such a college would fit this description. That's a good college.

PT just doesn't like the world that these people ended up creating after being enointed elites, which in parts I agree with.

twixfel

3 months ago

1 reply

It's putting the cart before the horse. An elite university matters in so far as it may indicate a strong intellect and strong drive. Trump went to an elite university and presumably is a hard worker but has some level of mental disability. There are many such people like that I would assume.

copacopabAuthor

3 months ago

If I elaborate on this, I might find myself in El Salvador by the end of the week. And I need to close my Seed. Choosing silence.

pols45

3 months ago

1 reply

It feels weird because its targeted at herd animals. The herd animal derives its sense of safety in an unpredictable universe, from the most dominant signaler around they can find. The signal will bounce off or feel manipulative for those who don't need it.

copacopabAuthor

3 months ago

Your point here being "people who care about credentialism are herd animals"?

vjvjvjvjghv

3 months ago

1 reply

I always find it interesting that people who went to elite schools like Stanford are telling others that this is not needed. Or CEOs who make multi million salaries explaining that work is about culture and fulfillment and you should not be after money.

Thiel’s philosophy and that of a lot of other Silicon Valley guys seems to condense to “ we are smart and right and everybody else is stupid”.

copacopabAuthor

3 months ago

Yeah, I actually think PT is sincere in his take that prestige actually does matter and so does school as a measure of IQ and ambition, even if you disagree with him -- but I think his larger posse has translated that message to "you shouldn't go to college and build a B2B SaaS instead. Like Patrick Collison!" Which is harmful and dumb.

Re CEOs: performative claptrap.

View full discussion on Hacker News

ID: 45635868Type: storyLast synced: 11/17/2025, 9:05:33 AM

Want the full context?

Jump to the original sources

Read the primary article or dive into the live Hacker News thread when you're ready.

Open link View on HN