PayPal co-founder signs up to be frozen after death in hopes of future revival
2 min read . Updated: 08 May 2023, 10:07 PM IST
PremiumThe investor, however said he is still skeptical that the technology actually works. ‘I’m not convinced it works. It’s more, I think we need to be trying these things. It’s not there yet,’ he said on a podcast.
PayPal co-founder and German-American billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel has recently revealed that he has signed up to be cryogenically frozen after his death to be potentially revived in future!
Thiel is the co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies and Founders Fund.
The investor, however said he is still skeptical that the technology actually works. “I’m not convinced it works. It’s more, I think we need to be trying these things. It’s not there yet," he said on a podcast.
Thiel has an estimated net worth of $8.13 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Thiel, 55, was speaking on a podcast when he confirmed that he will freeze his body after he dies.
“Is it true that you’re signed up to be cryonically preserved when you die so that you might be brought back to life in the future?" journalist Bari Weiss asked the venture capitalist on her podcast last week, New York Post reported.
“Yes, but I think of it more as an ideological statement," Thiel said.
“So it’s true?" the journalist pressed on.
“Sure. I don’t necessarily expect it to work, but I think it’s the sort of thing we’re supposed to try to do," the American entrepreneur said.
As science-fiction as cryogenic freezing sounds, cryogenic freezing using liquid nitrogen is a common practice to of producers to maximize food production. The use of cryogenic gas at very low operating temperatures of -80ºC provides a high heat transfer rate that ensures quick freezing times.
Cryonics, done on dead humans, is the low-temperature freezing and storage of the organic remains. This is done with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticism within the mainstream scientific community.
Last month, Peter Thiel, a major donor for the Republican Party with libertarian leanings, said he has no plans to donate to candidates running for the 2024 US presidential election, Bloomberg reported. He was a key backer of Donald Trump during the 2016 polls, donating $1.3 million to support Trump.