Peter Thiel is moving out of Silicon Valley and might leave Facebook's board after his relationship with Mark Zuckerberg soured over his support of Trump

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February 15, 2018 4:07 PM

Facebook board member Peter Thiel is not a fan of Silicon Valley's culture in the wake of the election.

Venture capitalist Peter Thiel is moving to Los Angeles and considering leaving Facebook's board of directors, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Thiel's political leanings came under fire from many in Silicon Valley after the US presidential election because of his open support for President Donald Trump.
Despite saying he wouldn't voluntarily leave Facebook's board in 2017, people close to Thiel told The Journal that his thoughts have changed in recent months as he's grown frustrated with Silicon Valley's culture.

Venture capitalist Peter Thiel is moving his home from Silicon Valley to Los Angeles and considering leaving Facebook's board of directors, according to a report published in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

Thiel, who counts himself among Facebook's earliest investors, has seen his relationship with Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, become strained following his open support of President Donald Trump, sources told The Journal.

The controversial tech mogul has reportedly grown frustrated with Silicon Valley's left-leaning political values in the past years and is planning on moving some of his personal investment firms to LA as well.

According to The Journal, Thiel's political stance also led to a strained relationship with fellow Facebook board member Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix. In a 2016 email originally reported by The New York Times, Hastings described Thiel's support of Trump as "catastrophically bad judgment."

In the months following the election, Zuckerberg reportedly spoke with Thiel about his position on the board, though Thiel said he wasn't planning on leaving, according to The Journal, and Zuckerberg didn't press him to resign.

While one source told The Journal that there was a good chance Thiel remained on Facebook's board "for now," it appears as if Thiel hasn't made up his mind. Facebook declined to comment on The Journal's report, and a representative for Thiel wasn't immediately available for comment.

One thing seems certain: Thiel is not a fan of Silicon Valley's culture in the wake of the election.

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