Billionaire Peter Thiel warns if you ‘proletarianize the young people,’ don’t be surprised they end up communist

[QP!]

No disagreement here about the growing populism we see on both the right and left that you call out.

Since this thread was largely about housing, and it's a space I'm familiar with, it's what I've been speaking to. What's interesting about housing is political labels often get dropped quickly. Someone wants to build in a neighborhood, people unite like they are multi-generational families in opposition. It's no longer R vs. D, it's like people are a gang uniting to protect themselves.

We've had decades of that which has led us to where buying a home, the "American Dream", is out of reach for so many. That alone isn't what's causing this populist movement, but it's certainly playing a role in it.

China seems to be on an unstoppable track to being the world #1 super power and it because they have deliberately chosen an Authoritarian path based on what of the biggest legs of populism which is ensuring the MC and below share in the bulk of GDP gains, causing a spiral of wealth accumulation.

As the MC get ever richer the GDP goes ever up, meaning the country as a whole gets ever stronger.

Trump and Putin would take that system and comb so much out to make a selective few richer in the short term that they would not see how that made not just the country but also themselves poorer in the long term. Now they would just argue, just give me all the money now and let me invest it, as i do not care about the long term for the country.

It is an argument I realize, is a divergence but is one i am fascinated with. Arguably had Putin really doubled down on the prior reforms, even if he shifted to a more China based system, i believe Russia, long term, and would have rivaled CHina and the US as a world power. That Russia was uniquely positioned to be the true 'Bridge between Asia and Europe and America' being a mid point for giant Tech companies to set up their second biggest offices competing for a portion of the talent coming out of India and China, etc. I think with the storied history of Moscow and the Country, and true stability and reforms, they could have easily become that.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Terry and Damo do the same thing constantly. They will act like it such a huge offense that someone bought Hunters paintings, because it could POSSIBLE impact what he brought to Joe, as an issue and what Joe listened too.

But when it comes to Trump and his kids getting billions upon billions, they will tell you that should not be brought up or refuse to discuss it.

It is almost as if they have zero principles behind their positions and things are only right or wrong based on a partisan label.

Bingo. They are so deep into the cult that they literally cannot see what's going on. I've noticed it since 2015 and it's only getting worse. Where's that wall Mexico was going to pay for? Why is Hillary not in prison? Where's that "better, cheaper" health insurance we were promised? Why is there still war in Ukraine? Why is Gaza still being leveled and civilians killed? Who gave permission to destroy a good part of that historic DC building, the White House? Why are prices still high, and rising? Why did they vote for a convicted felon?

 

[cawacko]

China seems to be on an unstoppable track to being the world #1 super power and it because they have deliberately chosen an Authoritarian path based on what of the biggest legs of populism which is ensuring the MC and below share in the bulk of GDP gains, causing a spiral of wealth accumulation.

As the MC get ever richer the GDP goes ever up, meaning the country as a whole gets ever stronger.

Trump and Putin would take that system and comb so much out to make a selective few richer in the short term that they would not see how that made not just the country but also themselves poorer in the long term. Now they would just argue, just give me all the money now and let me invest it, as i do not care about the long term for the country.

It is an argument I realize, is a divergence but is one i am fascinated with. Arguably had Putin really doubled down on the prior reforms, even if he shifted to a more China based system, i believe Russia, long term, and would have rivaled CHina and the US as a world power. That Russia was uniquely positioned to be the true 'Bridge between Asia and Europe and America' being a mid point for giant Tech companies to set up their second biggest offices competing for a portion of the talent coming out of India and China, etc. I think with the storied history of Moscow and the Country, and true stability and reforms, they could have easily become that.

I would not at all say China is on an unstoppable track. China's rise started with economic liberalism. In the late aught's I worked for a global real estate investment management company and we started looking at the opportunities in China. That stopped though with China's transformation under Xi.

China is clearly an economic power but they have major demographic issues, a collapsing real estate market and shrinking foreign investment. So they are not without big challenges.

Our housing market will never be, nor should it, predicated on China's model. With our private property based model, the U.S. gov't is not structured to be the landlord for much of the country.

 

[QP!]

I would not at all say China is on an unstoppable track. China's rise started with economic liberalism. In the late aught's I worked for a global real estate investment management company and we started looking at the opportunities in China. That stopped though with China's transformation under Xi.

China is clearly an economic power but they have major demographic issues, a collapsing real estate market and shrinking foreign investment. So they are not without big challenges.

Our housing market will never be, nor should it, predicated on China's model. With our private property based model, the U.S. gov't is not structured to be the landlord for much of the country.

China definitely has some huge challenges ahead of it beyond the economic risks.

Trying to maintain an authoritarian top down system, while also making the masses more wealthy, works while the masses are more focused on just getting food and housing and getting to a point of a MC comfort, but once that is achieved they will not just be satisfied with incrementally more wealth and the shift will be to more freedoms and they will gain power to start fighting back, if a populist movement rises to unite the wealth the masses have.

How China manages that, will, imo, be their biggest battle in getting to that next level or not, or being torn apart from within.

 

[Taichiliberal]

Rent control is certainly not new, you are correct. And rent control can help the individual who receive it. But on the whole, economic data clearly shows that it causes landlords to be less likely in keep up the quality of their properties and build new supply. That's what causes prices to rise.

Mamdani struck a chord with his "the rent is too high rhetoric". And on the surface, rent freezes sound great. But the results show otherwise. Liberal economists will say the same thing, so this isn't just some partisan thing either.

Essentially you just repeated yourself and ignored the article linked. Greed and corruption plus a worship of projected profit currently rule the economic data.

 

[cawacko]

Essentially you just repeated yourself and ignored the article linked. Greed and corruption plus a worship of projected profit currently rule the economic data.

From your perspective, what’s the best way to add supply or bring down prices?

 

[Taichiliberal]

From your perspective, what’s the best way to add supply or bring down prices?

First concede to the real time logic of the point I made, then we can segway to something else.

 

[Hawkeye10]

China definitely has some huge challenges ahead of it beyond the economic risks.

Trying to maintain an authoritarian top down system, while also making the masses more wealthy, works while the masses are more focused on just getting food and housing and getting to a point of a MC comfort, but once that is achieved they will not just be satisfied with incrementally more wealth and the shift will be to more freedoms and they will gain power to start fighting back, if a populist movement rises to unite the wealth the masses have.

How China manages that, will, imo, be their biggest battle in getting to that next level or not, or being torn apart from within.

The last thing the Chinese people want is to be like us, they look at Western liberalism and see a disaster...it makes weak stupid people.

 

[Hawkeye10]

The Chinese people generally dont work 65 hours a week to get rich....they are working to build the next flowering of the Chinese Empire.....which is going fabulously well as the West collapses.

 

[EdwinA]

correct.

peter thiel is fascist elitist surveillance state new world order trash.

but look at solutions that work. they're not all government largesse.

He probably faked a 'labor shortage' and asked for a 1,000 green cards while heading up his software corp.

 

[EdwinA]

The Chinese people generally dont work 65 hours a week to get rich....they are working to build the next flowering of the Chinese Empire.....which is going fabulously well as the West collapses.

Square dancing in Peking.

 

[Diogenes]

Because Putin and Xi and Trump have SELECT Oligarchs and companies they want to enrich and get enriched by but otherwise ruin the market for the bulk of the rest of the rich people.

The claim suggests that Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Donald Trump each favor a narrow group of "select" oligarchs or companies—enriching them (and themselves) through targeted policies—while simultaneously undermining broader market opportunities for most other wealthy individuals or firms. This implies a pattern of cronyism that concentrates economic power, distorts competition, and harms the wider elite class

All three use power to favor "select" insiders—Putin's loyalists, Xi's champions, Trump's donors—enabling personal or regime enrichment while distorting markets via corruption, subsidies, or tax policy.

This crowds out broader elites, fostering inequality and fragility, such as Russia's vassal oligarchs, China's party-loyal tycoons, and U.S. buyback binges.

Putin's system is most destructive with imprisonment and death; Xi's is ideological with state over market; Trump's is opportunistic but constrained, as democracy persists.

Not all "rich" are ruined—many adapt, such as U.S. billionaires diversifying. Broader economies grew under each—Russia's energy boom, China's GDP surge, U.S. pre-COVID expansion—but at cronyism's cost.

In truth-seeking terms, the claim is largely valid as a critique of authoritarian-leaning cronyism, but overstated for Trump's U.S. context where reversibility exists.

It highlights a global trend: When leaders prioritize loyal wealth over fair markets, the elite class fragments, benefiting few at the expense of systemic health. For deeper reading, sources include Anders Åslund's Russia’s Crony Capitalism and Groundwork Collaborative's TCJA analyses.

 

[Diogenes]

He probably faked a 'labor shortage' and asked for a 1,000 green cards while heading up his software corp.

Based on public records, visa data, and reporting, the suspicion is not valid.

There is no evidence Thiel or Palantir "faked" a labor shortage or specifically requested 1,000 green cards.

Palantir has sponsored foreign workers through legitimate channels, but at a scale far below 1,000 (dozens annually for H-1B visas, with minimal green card filings).

Thiel's public stance on immigration is nuanced—he has criticized high-skilled programs like H-1B for potentially suppressing wages while supporting selective talent attraction—but no documentation supports fabrication.

Below, I broke down the key elements.

Palantir's Actual Use of Work Visas and Green Cards

Palantir, a data analytics firm, relies on skilled engineers, many from abroad, due to the competitive tech labor market. However, filings show modest immigration sponsorship:

• H-1B Visas (Temporary Skilled Work Visas): These often cite labor shortages via Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) to the U.S. Department of Labor, attesting no adverse impact on U.S. workers. Palantir filed 95 LCAs in fiscal year 2025 (94 approved), down from hundreds in peak years like 2019 (around 200 approvals). Historical data shows 500–800 approvals over 2015–2020, but not a single-year spike to 1,000. No reports indicate falsified shortages; LCAs are standard and audited.
• Green Cards (Permanent Residency): These require PERM labor certifications proving no qualified U.S. workers available. Palantir filed 0 green card LCs in 2022–2024 and fewer than 50 total since 2010. No bulk request for 1,000 exists in USCIS or DOL records.
• Context on "Labor Shortage" Claims: Tech firms, including Palantir, argue genuine shortages in AI/data science talent. A 2025 Yahoo report noted Palantir's H-1B use amid federal contracts, sparking data security concerns, but no fakery accusations. Broader critiques (e.g., a 2017 Papers, Please! blog) claim H-1B manipulation industry-wide, but these are generalized, not Thiel-specific.

If the "1,000" refers to cumulative hires, it's exaggerated—Palantir's total foreign-sponsored roles are under 1,000 over two decades.

Thiel's companies have faced scrutiny, but it contradicts the claims' "fake shortage" narrative:

• 2016 DOL Lawsuit on Discrimination: The U.S. Department of Labor sued Palantir for allegedly excluding Asian applicants (73% of a 2010 intern pool was Asian, but only 4 hired vs. 17 non-Asians). The suit claimed biased screening, not fabricated shortages. Palantir denied it as "flawed analysis" and settled in 2017 for $1.8 million in back pay/monitoring, without admitting wrongdoing. This suggests under-hiring immigrants, not over-recruiting via deception.
• No Evidence of Thiel's Direct Involvement: As co-founder (not CEO; Alex Karp holds that role), Thiel influences strategy but isn't tied to visa ops. No leaks, emails, or whistleblowers allege he orchestrated faked claims.

 

[cawacko]

First concede to the real time logic of the point I made, then we can segway to something else.

I’m honestly not sure what you’re asking me to concede.

And my question isn’t a seque, it’s at the core of the whole debate. Mamdani ran on a “the rent is too high” platform and that rent freezes and price caps are the solution.

Clearly are people in NYC agree with that approach. I asked your opinion on what you think is the best way to increase supply and bring down costs.

 

[Taichiliberal]

I’m honestly not sure what you’re asking me to concede.

And my question isn’t a seque, it’s at the core of the whole debate. Mamdani ran on a “the rent is too high” platform and that rent freezes and price caps are the solution.

Clearly are people in NYC agree with that approach. I asked your opinion on what you think is the best way to increase supply and bring down costs.

Sure Wack, sure. I leave the chronology of the posts for the objective reader to decide the validity of my request. You can have the last word on this, as I'll move on.

 

[QP!]

The last thing the Chinese people want is to be like us, they look at Western liberalism and see a disaster...it makes weak stupid people.

i never said they want to be like us. So not sure why you replied with that.

But as human beings, once they reach closer to a middle class comfort lifestyle, there will be a real risk and potential challenge to the Chinese Authoritarian government of the people wanting more freedoms and wanting to be able to speak their views without reprisal.

We have seen numerous examples of that already from Tiananmen Square, to Jack Ma and others, who decided to test their voice and freedoms and got instantly silenced by the authoritarian gov't. If anything approaching 1B people enter the MC, lower MC and a movement begins for more freedoms it may well prove a big challenge for CHina to quell it again.

 

[Hawkeye10]

i never said they want to be like us. So not sure why you replied with that.

But as human beings, once they reach closer to a middle class comfort lifestyle, there will be a real risk and potential challenge to the Chinese Authoritarian government of the people wanting more freedoms and wanting to be able to speak their views without reprisal.

We have seen numerous examples of that already from Tiananmen Square, to Jack Ma and others, who decided to test their voice and freedoms and got instantly silenced by the authoritarian gov't. If anything approaching 1B people enter the MC, lower MC and a movement begins for more freedoms it may well prove a big challenge for CHina to quell it again.

Your assumption/belief that the Chinese want western style personal freedom is wrong.

They also dont want wealth for themselves so much....they want wealth for China.....for the collective.

 

[QP!]

Your assumption/belief that the Chinese want western style personal freedom is wrong.

They also dont want wealth for themselves so much....they want wealth for China.....for the collective.

Ya i am not interested in bothering you as i never said "Western Style personal freedoms'.

Slaves who escaped custody did not want western style personal freedoms, they just wanted freedom.

Freedom is not a partisan thing nor a State thing. NO one owns it. North, South, East and West hemispheres all have people who enjoy their freedoms and that is not because they want 'western style freedom'.

If people have the power to not be subjugated to the point where they will lose all future choice over that, they will not be subjugated.

 

[Hawkeye10]

Ya i am not interested in bothering you as i never said "Western Style personal freedoms'.

Slaves who escaped custody did not want western style personal freedoms, they just wanted freedom.

Freedom is not a partisan thing nor a State thing. NO one owns it. North, South, East and West hemispheres all have people who enjoy their freedoms and that is not because they want 'western style freedom'.

If people have the power to not be subjugated to the point where they will lose all future choice over that, they will not be subjugated.

The Chinese people are not subjugated....the Party goes to great lengths to make sure that it is operating in the interest of the people, with the consent of the people.

 

[cawacko]

Sure Wack, sure. I leave the chronology of the posts for the objective reader to decide the validity of my request. You can have the last word on this, as I'll move on.

I asked the question in good faith because I was interested in your perspective.

But fair enough, if you don’t want to get into it we can peace out.