.

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, has advised Vance since 2011, funding his venture capital firm Narya Capital and pumping more than $10 million into his 2022 Senate race.

According to the NYT, Thiel even brought Vance to Trump's first meeting at Mar-a-Lago in 2021.

Trump endorsed Vance for the Senate in 2022 and in 2024 selected him as his running mate.

Join the 'PayPal Mafia'

Thiel, Musk, and David Sacks are part of the original "PayPal mafia" — a close-knit group of ambitious tech billionaires.

Insiders from Thiel and Palantir have been actively involved in the 2024 online recruitment campaign to support Musk's DOGE, according to Wired.

According to CBS News, Vance has tightened his ties with powerful players in AI over the years and is now advocating for the dominance of AI and U.S. technology.

Since early 2025, Vance has been fiercely defending Musk.

What could Big Tech achieve if Vance comes to power?

If Trump is overthrown and Vance comes to power, tech elites like the PayPal mafia could gain unprecedented power, critics warn.

Musk's DOGE project is said to have provided him with insights into how the U.S. government operates and manages finances.

Palantir's unprecedented access to federal data systems has raised concerns about a centralized personal data system for Americans.

Their coming to power is clearly just a matter of time.