Personal Growth — October 18, 2010

$100K to Drop Out of School

Venture capitalist and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel is offering a unique ‘scholarship’: $100,000 for entrepreneurs under the age of twenty to drop out of college.

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“[Venture capitalist and early Facebook investor] Peter Thiel’s latest crusade is his worst yet, and more troubling than the possibility of an unfrozen caveman venture capitalist awaking in the 22nd century and demanding his space capsule. The Thiel Fellowship will pay would-be entrepreneurs under 20 $100,000 in cash to drop out of school. In announcing the program, Thiel made clear his contempt for American universities which, like governments, he believes, cost more than they’re worth and hinder what really matters in life, namely starting tech companies.”

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Thiel Fellows Develop Caffeine Spray

Now a few years into Peter Thiel’s experiment, 60 fellows have received $100,000 grants to skip college for two years. We’re now starting to see some of the results come in.

Personal Growth

$100,000 to Drop Out of College

Laura Deming, a 17 year-old undergraduate, was paid $100,000 by a California venture capitalist to leave her university. The offer is part of a bold business/education experiment.

A blurred black-and-white image of an American flag, with the stars and stripes visibly distorted, subtly reflecting political polarization.

The Present

Divided we stand: The rise of political animosity

“We’re acting more like fans of a football team going to a game than a banker carefully choosing investments.”

Young child sitting on a couch, illuminated by the screen of a tablet they are holding in a dimly lit room.

The Present

Beyond screen time: Rethinking kids’ tech use with the “Goldilocks hypothesis”

The digital world will always entail risks for teens, but that doesn’t mean parents aren’t without recourse.

Two people sitting across from each other at a table in a diner, engaged in conversation. The table has plates of food and drinks. The background shows other diners in a black and white setting.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: Can you build an intellectual friendship with someone you’re attracted to?

Does Platonic love actually exist?

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Obama Is the New F.D.R.

“High on hope, supporters heralded Obama as the new FDR. Two years later, many feel disillusioned. But FDR’s actual record puts today’s gripes about Obama into perspective.”