At the sight of his son it clicked. This is how Austria’s ex- / shadow- / no-longer- / maybe-soon-again-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (35) justified his exit from politics. The birth even topped his election campaigns. He can look at his baby for “hours” and is “happy and happy” about it.
Four weeks later it is clear: A top job is apparently even better than a top job 10,000 kilometers away from the family. As of this year, the two-time ex-chancellor will be working as a “global strategist” for mega-investor Peter Thiel (54) in Silicon Valley. The political miracle whirlpool becomes an economic whirlpool.
The move from top politics to the carpet floor of the private sector is not unusual – but controversial.
Several top European politicians are now serving Russian state corporations. Kurz’s predecessor Wolfgang Schüssel (76), Chancellor from 2000 to 2007, is a member of the supervisory board of the Russian mobile communications provider MTS and a member of the board of directors of the Russian mineral oil company Lukoil.
In Switzerland, Moritz Leuenberger (75) duped the public by joining Implenia’s board of directors: of all things, the construction company that was also involved in the construction of the Gotthard tunnel – Leuenberger’s prestige project as transport minister.
Briefly about Thiel: “Great to have met you”
Kurz is known for its proximity to tech corporations and start-ups. The venture capitalist Thiel has a nose for good business on the Internet: He was the first external sponsor of Facebook, was a co-founder of the online payment service PayPal and the data analysis company Palantir. (For transparency: Ringier, which also publishes the SonntagsBlick, maintains a strategic partnership with Palantir.)
Thiel and Kurz have known each other for a long time. From the Munich Security Conference 2017, Kurz – at that time still Foreign Minister – shared a photo on Twitter: “It’s great to have met you. Thanks for the opportunity.”
But with the manager job, Kurz not only dives into the exciting tech world in California, but also into the Thiel network. His new boss is controversial.
Trump financier with a clear economic agenda
Competition is for losers, and companies stand above states: That is, in short, Thiel’s conviction. Thiel, who also worked for Credit Suisse in the early 90s, advises companies to embark on a ruthless campaign on the way to monopoly.
He also drives his ideas forward politically. He supports several far-right Republicans in the US mid-term election in 2022. He donated $ 1.5 million to the 2016 Trump campaign and was one of Donald Trump’s first advisors.
Since then Thiel has further refined his political worldview, it says in a «Politico» article: «A mishmash of libertarianism and nationalism, which has led to his interest in cryptocurrency, the funding of immigration hardliners and the support of seasteading – floating autonomous Ocean communities that are not subject to any government or taxes. ”
That doesn’t have to sound so unattractive to Sebastian Kurz. In Austria, the young former chancellor is still being investigated on suspicion of false testimony and aiding and abetting in breach of trust and corruption. He faces up to ten years in prison.