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The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley’s Pursuit of Power
Author: Max Chafkin
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Price: Rs 699
Pages: 382
After reading The Contrarian, Max Chafkin’s judicious biography, I was struck by how much Peter Thiel remains a mystery — less of an intriguing enigma than a hollow cipher. This isn’t to fault Mr Chafkin, who is unfailingly diligent in his efforts to narrate Mr Thiel’s life and understand, as far as possible, what he actually believes. But contrarianism tends to be reactive, not constructive; it risks getting lost in the incessant repositioning of oneself against a fickle discourse.
Mr Chafkin recounts a telling scene during
