The Diversity Myth is Peter Thiel and David Sacks's 1995 book, published by the Independent Institute, arguing that the multiculturalism movement on American campuses is intolerant of dissent, hostile to free inquiry, and undermines the universalist values of the Enlightenment. Written while both authors were recent Stanford graduates, it anticipates many of the campus free-speech debates that would dominate American politics decades later. It is a book-by-founder in the most literal sense: Thiel and Sacks co-authored it while working together at The Stanford Review.
This is Thiel's first book, written before PayPal existed, and it reveals the intellectual foundation he carried into his business career. The central argument — that institutions claiming to promote tolerance are in fact enforcing orthodoxy — is visible in Thiel's later venture philosophy (funding what is taboo or unfashionable) and his political activism.
Senra does not cover this book on the podcast, but it belongs on the shelf as a primary-source document of a founder's worldview at the point of origin. Thiel's contrarianism is not a pose he adopted for investing; it is a philosophical position he has held since his early twenties, and The Diversity Myth is the evidence. For founders, the book is valuable as a case study in how early intellectual convictions inform later business decisions, even when the subject matter seems unrelated to the business.
The book also documents the origins of the 'PayPal Mafia' intellectual culture: Thiel and Sacks met at Stanford, and The Diversity Myth is the product of their collaboration years before they built PayPal together. The continuity between the campus activism of 1995 and the tech investing of 2005 is instructive for founders who want to attract co-founders with shared values rather than shared résumés.