Thiel, like Trump, is a contrarian: First Take

SAN FRANCISCO — If there was any lingering doubt about Peter Thiel's status as Silicon Valley's resident contrarian, one need only catch his speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

The early Facebook investor, who has championed an undersea world while dismissing college educations, called Donald Trump's candidacy a tonic for the country's ills.

"I am not a politician, but neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder," said Thiel, one of the few key figures in tech to publicly support Trump. (Last year, he poured $2 million into a PAC that supported Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO who sought the Republican nomination for president.)

The billionaire's much-anticipated speech, in which he became the first RNC speaker to openly discuss his homosexuality, drew loud cheers and a standing ovation for his five-minute speech. The line that prompted the applause: "I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all, I am proud to be an American."

He called transgender bills in several states "a distraction."

The shouted affirmation "I am proud to be gay" and the roar of applause that followed — like much of the convention speeches — carried its own tinge of the bizarre, given Thiel's history with making his sexuality public and the Trump ticket.

Thiel most recently had emerged in the public spotlight as the private financier of Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker. The reason: a long-held grievance against Gawker for outing him as a gay in 2007. Trump's running mate Mike Pence, meanwhile, as governor of Indiana signed a controversial "religious freedom" bill that national gay rights groups — and big tech employers — said allowed businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.

A fiercely pro-innovation, anti-war libertarian, Thiel cuts an unusual figure in any field. He's pro-marijuana, Christian and staunch pro-immigration. You might say his willingness to think differently makes him a natural ally of Trump, whose maverick campaign has defied conventional wisdom.

But at his core, Thiel believes in business and technology. In plain-spoken language, he made the case to "build new things," as he put it.

"Instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East," said Thiel, a PayPal co-founder who bemoaned the state of technology used by the federal government. "It’s time to end the era of stupid wars and rebuild our country."

"Our economy is broken," he said.

While many in technology have fallen in line behind Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, few have contributed to the Trump campaign or endorsed him publicly. Peter Thiel is an exception.

"Many people are uncertain in this election year, but most Americans agree that our country is on the wrong track," Thiel said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Tech turns its back on Trump — except for a few

For a few minutes in an NBA arena tonight, Thiel made an exceptional impression.

Follow USA TODAY San Francisco Bureau Chief Jon Swartz @jswartz on Twitter.