Peter Thiel to Headline Libertarian Summit in Buenos Aires, Uniting Chile’s Far Right and Mining Sector

Original article: Thiel concentrará en Buenos Aires a la ultraderecha chilena y la gran minería en torno al modelo “libertario” de Milei

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, will play a pivotal role at a libertarian summit in Buenos Aires, bringing together key figures from the Chilean far-right, including representatives from the mining industry, to promote the ‘libertarian’ model implemented by Javier Milei‘s government in Argentina as a reference point for the region.

The event, titled “Winds of Change,” is scheduled for September 1 and 2 at the Sheraton Retiro Hotel and will feature two Argentine cabinet ministers: Luis Caputo (Economy) and Federico Sturzenegger (Deregulation), alongside Deputy Minister José Luis Daza. The summit is organized by the Freedom and Progress Foundation, the Archbridge Institute, and Reason magazine, with the initial batch of tickets, ranging from $50 to $600, already sold out.

The Chilean delegation will be the largest, led by Axel Kaiser, who is not merely an attendee but part of the organizing structure as a member of the Archbridge Institute. He will be joined by Bettina Horst, Executive Director of Freedom and Development; Víctor Manuel Avilés, advisor for the same think tank; Cristián Larroulet, founder of the University of Development and architect of public policies during Sebastián Piñera’s administrations; and Nicolás Ibáñez, president of the Foundation for Progress.

On the economic front, Iván Arriagada, CEO of Antofagasta plc, a major copper mining company owned by the Luksic family, will also be a prominent participant.

According to the official agenda, Arriagada will lead a panel discussion titled: “Major Investments in Latin America: Mining, Artificial Intelligence, and Energy Resources.”

This lineup highlights a concrete link between the Argentine libertarian experiment and strategic sectors of the Chilean right, including think tanks, intellectuals, business leaders, and the mining industry, all united with the explicit goal of promoting Milei’s agenda across Latin America. Although Milei has received a formal invitation, his attendance has not been confirmed. However, the program for Wednesday, September 2, includes a “surprise guest.”

Thiel’s Connection to Chile

Thiel’s profile goes far beyond the label of “tech entrepreneur and investor” presented on the forum’s website, as his career includes financing Próspera, a private economic zone in Honduras that faces a $1.63 billion arbitration claim before the World Bank’s ICSID.

He has also launched Objection AI, a platform that charges up to $10,000 to submit journalism work for review by artificial intelligence models, and co-directs Dialog, a secret retreat club whose list of 222 members—including the U.S. Treasury Secretary, the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in Europe, and Elon Musk—was leaked in June due to a security error, as noted by El Mostrador.

The man who in 2009 wrote in an essay for the Cato Institute that “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible,” attributing the transformation of “capitalist democracy” into an oxymoron to women’s suffrage and the welfare state, will have an open mic at a summit aiming to transform the Argentine experiment into a regional platform. This will not be a secretive meeting like Dialog’s but a public event where a significant portion of the Chilean intellectual, entrepreneurial, and political right will be present to hear his proposals.

Thiel’s connection to Chile has strengthened in recent months, highlighted by a visit to Santiago at the end of April, which included meetings with key figures across the political and economic spectrum. He met with José Piñera, architect of the AFP system under Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, who posted and then deleted a tweet claiming: “We discussed the Chilean miracle and global trends.”

He also met with Johannes Kaiser, president of the National Libertarian Party (PNL), who revealed that Thiel expressed interest in exploring mining investments in Chile and Argentina, as El Mostrador reported. Furthermore, he had a meeting with President José Antonio Kast at La Moneda, which the government kept secret for weeks without a public agenda or official statement. After a notice from Congressman Gonzalo Winter, La Moneda confirmed the meeting via ordinary note No. 850 on June 8, signed by Minister García Ruminot, although the government refused to disclose the topics discussed, arguing that the President is not subject to the Lobby Law and that his communications are protected by the Constitution, labeling the gathering as “brief and protocolary.”

Thiel’s presence in the region has solidified with his relocation to Buenos Aires since April, where he lives with his husband Matt Danzeisen, enrolled his children in local schools, and purchased a $12 million mansion in Barrio Parque. Meanwhile, Palantir, the data analytics and artificial intelligence company he co-founded, which provides infrastructure to the CIA, FBI, Pentagon, and ICE, has been registered in Chile for years, though current legislation makes it unclear if it holds contracts with the Armed Forces.

In May 2025, the company signed a confidential contract with the Ecuadorian government, highlighting Thiel’s increasing influence in the region.

Thus, the “Winds of Change” summit marks a pivotal moment where the Argentine libertarian model seeks to unite with Chilean political and economic players, guided by a man who has built a global network over two decades, now choosing the Southern Cone as a stage to promote his vision of unbounded capitalism, where freedom and democracy need not be compatible.