Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue

By Ryan Holiday

Categories: Business & Money, Politics & Social Sciences

The inside story of how billionaire Peter Thiel, angered after Gawker's Valleywag outed him in 2007, secretly funded Hulk Hogan's invasion-of-privacy lawsuit over a sex tape Gawker published. The case ended in a $140 million verdict and Gawker's bankruptcy. Drawing on interviews with the key players, Ryan Holiday examines the plot as a study in power, strategy, patience and secrecy.

Recommended by 2 people

• Marc Andreessen: “Startlingly deep cultural history of conspiracies, examined through the lens of the brutally effective Gawker takedown, with full access to the main players.”
• Shane Parrish: “There is an old Scottish motto that no one attacks me with impunity. You know that moment when someone slights you, and you decide that it’s too much. The moment you decide that you’re not going to take it anymore. You don’t always respond like the boxer would, throwing an immediate counterpunch.”