Courtesy of Elijah Hurewitz

Peter Thiel — a billionaire and co-founder and former CEO of PayPal — spoke at a debate hosted by the Yale Political Union Tuesday night to make the case that higher education has become a “bubble.” 

The Yale Political Union hosted Thiel on Sept. 3, as the first in a lineup of notable speakers this year, for a debate on the resolution titled,“Higher Education is a Bubble.” At the event, Thiel argued that higher education fit his three defining factors for what determines a “bubble”: something hard to define, containing a psychosocial aspect and increasing at an exponential rate financially. 

Thiel, known for starting the Thiel Foundation, which awards $100,000 to college dropouts to pursue a path of entrepreneurship, spoke for the affirmative of the resolution.

“The explanation I have is that the institutions became sociopathic,” Thiel said at the debate when explaining how the “higher education bubble” occurred and about higher education’s decline.

Crowds lined up outside 53 Wall St. vying for seats to the YPU’s highly anticipated event. The debate on Tuesday was attended by representatives from each party in the Yale Political Union, several professors and many Yale students.

“This is one of the great benefits that Yale affords … close proximity to famous and notable speakers,” Samuel Sanders ’28, who attended the event, told the News. “I’m excited to hear Peter Thiel’s thoughts.”

Throughout the debate, which lasted about two and half hours, adamant hissing and raucous stomping could be heard as people either agreed or strongly rejected the ideas presented by the speakers. Bodyguards were stationed in the corners of the room, scanning the crowd as Thiel sat on the stage at a table with YPU President Riya Bhargava ’26 and Speaker AJ Tapia-Wylie ’26. 

In his opening speech arguing the affirmative, Thiel criticized Yale for “cultivating a culture of exclusivity” to maintain its perceived value. 

“I think people will be extraordinarily upset that maybe the value of [elite education] is heavily driven by exclusion,” Thiel said at the event.

Thiel’s opinions were met with corresponding rebuttals, with one of the rebuttal speeches saying that in the political sphere a college education is still invaluable and almost a necessity. Some audience members also criticized Thiel as inadvertently putting a value on college himself by offering $100,000 to college dropouts, at which he smiled.

However, by a count of hands at the conclusion of the debate, the affirmative won.

When asked by the News why he agreed to come to Yale, Thiel responded by saying, “I want people to think for themselves.”

At the conclusion of the debate, Ryan Chen ’28, who attended the event, described his feelings as neutral.

“You can still think something’s a bubble,” Chen told the News. “However, that’s not to say I’m going to drop out.”

Thiel received his undergraduate and law degree from Stanford University.