---
type: "Topics"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/topics/100000000862912.md"
description: "14 years ago today, Peter Thiel turned $500K into $1BWhen Facebook IPO'd in May 2012 at $38 a share, Thiel played it better than anyoneThiel wrote Facebook's first outside check in 2004 for roughly 10%And here's how he profited $1B:• 2004: Thiel invests $500,000 for roughly 10% of Facebook• May 18, 2012: Facebook IPOs at $38 a share• May 18, 2012: Thiel sells 16,800,000 shares in the IPO, banking $640,000,000• Same day: he sets up a plan to sell the rest, before the stock has traded for a single hour• Aug 16-17, 2012: the first lockup expires and Thiel sells 20.6M more shares between $19-$21• Aug 20, 2012: the filing goes public and Facebook closes at $20.01 that day‣ Thiel's cash-out: ~$1,000,000,000‣ Retail's position at the time: -47% from IPOIn the end, he kept 5,600,000 shares and his board seat"
datetime: "2026-08-20T15:16:45.000Z"
locales:
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/topics/100000000862912.md)
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/topics/100000000862912.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/topics/100000000862912.md)
author: "[Michael Burry Tracker](https://longbridge.com/en/profiles/17582432.md)"
generator: "portal-rs"
---

# 14 years ago today, Peter Thiel turned $500K into …


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> **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**