Foci of Resistance to the Libertarian Tech Dream

Peter Thiel was due to appear last Wednesday at the “Winds of Change” summit, organized by the Libertad y Progreso Foundation, where Javier Milei also spoke. The billionaire canceled in advance, citing “scheduling issues.” His next known appointment is in Berlin on Sept. 24, when he will receive the Axel Springer Award, previously given to figures including Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The owner of Palantir, a company specializing in large-scale data analysis for defense and security applications, keeps away from cameras and limits his public appearances. His latest reported movements took place in London, where it emerged that he had received exclusive access to the British Museum to see the Bayeux Tapestry. The 11th-century medieval embroidery depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Entry to the room, which is not yet open to the public, is tightly limited. The tapestry had left France for the first time in its history.

Thiel's movements appear to show growing attention to Europe. In Buenos Aires, the mansion in Barrio Parque where he stays has become the setting for surreal scenes since activists staged a protest dressed as Gandalf, a character from The Lord of the Rings, a work Thiel is known to admire. Bloomberg described the businessman as having become a target of the opposition ahead of the election and offered a further theory about his interest in Argentina: that he wants a bunker to protect himself in the event of a nuclear catastrophe.

Whatever Thiel's plans, Milei's push to build a legal framework aligned with major technology investors' interests has met resistance. The clearest example is the Super RIGI bill, which moved through the Chamber of Deputies without major difficulty but has failed to advance in the Senate. The initiative would grant unprecedented tax, currency and customs benefits for 30 years to new projects worth more than $1 billion in Argentina. It does not specify sectors, but is understood to target artificial intelligence, data centers and the processing of critical minerals. It would also allow companies to litigate abroad, effectively giving up jurisdiction and tilting the balance toward foreign companies. Although local firms are not formally excluded, the minimum investment thresholds place the regime beyond their scale.