--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of the six people who started PayPal…" description: "\"Of the six people who started PayPal, four had built bombs in high school.\" — Peter Thiel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/peter-thiel-1311_bombs_of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-fou_1627687.png" --- # Of the six people who started PayPal, four had built bombs… ![“Of the six people who started PayPal, four had built bombs in high school.” quote by Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/peter-thiel-1311_bombs_of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-fou_1627687.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/peter-thiel-1311_bombs_of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-fou_1627687.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/peter-thiel-1311_bombs_of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-fou_1627687.png) > “Of the six people who started PayPal, four had built bombs in high school.” [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early tech entrepreneurs often have unconventional, sometimes dangerous, youthful experiments that foreshadow their risk‑taking mindset. **In simple terms:** Young risk‑taking can predict later entrepreneurial boldness. Key Takeaway Recognize how early experiences shape risk appetite. Themes risk entrepreneurship innovation Mood reflective critical Type anecdotal cautionary When to use this quote - startup founding - venture capital - team building Key Concepts psychology of risk youthful experimentation Questions to Reflect On - How do early risky hobbies influence later business decisions? - Is it necessary to have a "dangerous" past to succeed? A Different Perspective Such anecdotes may glorify dangerous behavior, ignoring ethical concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Bombs High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs-high-356126/) [Built Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built-bombs-356125/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Paypal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paypal/) [Paypal Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paypal-built-356123/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-started-356127/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Started Paypal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-paypal-356124/) ## Related quotes > [For a new payment product, you always have to ask, how much better is it than the current solution? So when we started Paypal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/for-a-new-payment-product-you-always-have-to-ask-how-much-better-is/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [That's generally true of people who drop bombs from high altitudes. You don't know what's going on below. You don't see the human consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/that-s-generally-true-of-people-who-drop-bombs-from-high-altitudes/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“I wish I would have known that there was no need to wait. I went to college. I went to law school. I worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/i-wish-i-would-have-known-that-there-was-no-need-to-wait-i-went-to/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [You can't get married to any one particular plan. That is the biggest lesson I learned at PayPal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/you-can-t-get-married-to-any-one-particular-plan-that-is-the-biggest/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) > [In 2013 I sold my payments company, Braintree Venmo, to PayPal for $800 million, reaching a goal I set when 21.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/in-2013-i-sold-my-payments-company-braintree-venmo-to-paypal-for-800/) [Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/) > [Going from PayPal, I thought: 'Well, what are some of the other problems that are likely to most affect the future of humanity?' Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/going-from-paypal-i-thought-well-what-are-some-of-the-other-problems/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [For me, the international expansion of eBay was the best idea. We are now in 35 countries, and have a huge global network. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/for-me-the-international-expansion-of-ebay-was-the-best-idea-we-are/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [I've got a number of stories written so far in that mythos, more lined up to be written, and a narrative arc taking shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/i-ve-got-a-number-of-stories-written-so-far-in-that-mythos-more-lined/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [PayPal is a business that will be bigger than eBay,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donahoe/paypal-is-a-business-that-will-be-bigger-than-ebay/) [John Donahoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donahoe/) > [Venmo is one of the jewels of Paypal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-schulman/venmo-is-one-of-the-jewels-of-paypal/) [Dan Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-schulman/) > [Technology has come a long way since PayPal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/technology-has-come-a-long-way-since-paypal/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) > [A lot of hackers set up scam sites. They can impersonate a site like PayPal, for instance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-demon-calce/a-lot-of-hackers-set-up-scam-sites-they-can-impersonate-a-site-like/) [Michael Demon Calce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-demon-calce/) > [We're really thinking how do we re-imagine PayPal almost as a service. PayPal as a SaaS platform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-schulman/we-re-really-thinking-how-do-we-re-imagine-paypal-almost-as-a-service/) [Dan Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-schulman/) > [Pink Friday Eminem 8 Mile It must hurt to sell your album on Paypal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/pink-friday-eminem-8-mile-it-must-hurt-to-sell-your-album-on-paypal/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) ## More by Peter Thiel > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [If you think about basic science or coming up with new theories of mathematics, these are not the kinds of things which are necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-think-about-basic-science-or-coming-up-with-new-theories-of/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [I think we have a bubble in the US in government bonds, because of the quantitative easing and the negative real interest rates, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/i-think-we-have-a-bubble-in-the-us-in-government-bonds-because-of-the/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Time and decision-making themselves follow a power law, and some moments matter far more than others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/time-and-decision-making-themselves-follow-a-power-law-and-some/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Today, we exaggerate the differences between left-liberal egalitarianism and libertarian individualism because almost everyone shares their common indefinite attitude. In philosophy, politics, and business,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/today-we-exaggerate-the-differences-between-left-liberal/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [When you already have $150 billion a year in revenues from the iPhone, it's very hard to come up with any new vertical that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/when-you-already-have-150-billion-a-year-in-revenues-from-the-iphone/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“CREATIVE MONOPOLY means new products that benefit everybody and sustainable profits for the creator. Competition means no profits for anybody, no meaningful differentiation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/creative-monopoly-means-new-products-that-benefit-everybody-and/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“we have given up our sense of wonder at secrets left to be discovered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/we-have-given-up-our-sense-of-wonder-at-secrets-left-to-be-discovered/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Today our society is permeated by the twin ideas that death is both inevitable and random.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/today-our-society-is-permeated-by-the-twin-ideas-that-death-is-both/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“if your company can be summed up by its opposition to already existing firms, it can’t be completely new and it’s probably not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-your-company-can-be-summed-up-by-its-opposition-to-already/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Is a lukewarm attitude to one’s work a sign of mental health? Is a merely professional attitude the only sane approach?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/is-a-lukewarm-attitude-to-one-s-work-a-sign-of-mental-health-is-a/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“If you’ve invented something new but you haven’t invented an effective way to sell it, you have a bad business—no matter how good the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-ve-invented-something-new-but-you-haven-t-invented-an/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [The business model piece is we're always talking about competing more effectively. If you're starting a company or career you don't want to compete.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/the-business-model-piece-is-we-re-always-talking-about-competing-more/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [If you invest in Microsoft or Oracle, or a number of other companies for that matter, you're fundamentally making a bet that there's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-invest-in-microsoft-or-oracle-or-a-number-of-other-companies/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [Our economy is broken. I'm not a politician, but neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder, and it's time to rebuild America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/our-economy-is-broken-i-m-not-a-politician-but-neither-is-donald/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) [Explore all 257 Peter Thiel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) ## More Bombs quotes > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I had a very well-respected writer ask me point blank to my face whether it actually mattered to me. Now, without wanting to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-furyk/i-had-a-very-well-respected-writer-ask-me-point-blank-to-my-face/) [Jim Furyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-furyk/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There are cameras nowadays that have been developed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-are-cameras-nowadays-that-have-been-developed-to-tell-the/) [George W. 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Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) [Browse all 1,253 Bombs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Of the six people who started PayPal, four had built bombs in high school.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Thiel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-four-had-built-bombs-in-high/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bombs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-four-had-built-bombs-in-high/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/peter-thiel-1311_bombs_of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-fou_1627687.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/peter-thiel-1311_bombs_of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-fou_1627687.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/peter-thiel-1311_bombs_of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-fou_1627687.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of the six people who started PayPal, four had built bombs in high school.” — Peter Thiel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Peter Thiel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Of the six people who started...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-four-had-built-bombs-in-high/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/of-the-six-people-who-started-paypal-four-had-built-bombs-in-high/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```