PayPal Mafia

Associates

Early PayPal and the extent of their documented contacts with Epstein

From 2014 through 2017 Jeffrey Epstein sought meetings with several marquee Silicon Valley investors &mdahs; among them a handful from the 'PayPal Mafia'.

Calendars obtained by The Wall Street Journal and internal e‑mails released during the 2019 MIT Media Lab scandal confirm repeated contacts with LinkedIn co‑founder Reid Hoffman and at least one scheduled lunch with Peter Thiel.

A widely circulated 2014 photograph places Elon Musk beside Ghislaine Maxwell at a Vanity Fair event, Musk and Tesla say he never met Epstein, yet Epstein boasted in e‑mails of offering 'advice' on Musk's philanthropy.

No reliable evidence ties other PayPal veterans — Max Levchin, David Sacks, Luke Nosek, Roelof Botha, Ken Howery, Keith Rabois, or Jeremy Stoppelman — to Epstein beyond large‑scale tech conference guest lists.

Hoffman later called his encounters a 'mistake', Thiel declined comment, and Musk labeled Epstein 'an idiot.'123

  Snapshot

Figure (PayPal role)Post‑PayPal prominenceDocumented Epstein contact(s)Nature/settingStatus of relationship
Reid Hoffman (Exec VP)LinkedIn co‑founder, Greylock partner6 meetings 2014–201545Dinners at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, joint MIT visit with Joi Ito, one flight on Epstein's Gulfstream from Teterboro to BostonHoffman apologized 2019, says all ties cut 2015
Peter Thiel (CEO)Founders Fund & Palantir co‑founderLunch booked Sept 201442Calendar entry 'Lunch‑PT' at Epstein's townhouse, no record of funding or flightsThiel silent, no further meetings logged
Elon Musk (acquired X.com)Tesla & SpaceX chiefPhoto with Maxwell Feb 20146Vanity Fair Oscars after‑party, Musk says Maxwell 'photobombed' him, Epstein e‑mails claim advisory role3Musk denies any meeting, Tesla lawyers: 'zero business'7
Max Levchin (CTO)Affirm founderNone found—No evidence
David Sacks (COO)Craft Ventures co‑founderNone found—No evidence
Luke Nosek, Ken Howery, Roelof Botha, Keith Rabois, Jeremy Stoppelman, othersVCs/entrepreneursNone found—No evidence

  Professional Background

The 'PayPal Mafia' refers to roughly two dozen engineers and deal‑makers who left PayPal after its 2002 sale to eBay and went on to bankroll or launch Tesla, LinkedIn, YouTube, Yelp, SpaceX, Palantir, Affirm, and Facebook's seed round.

Their collective influence drew Epstein, who between 2013 and 2017 hunted new tech investments to rehabilitate his image after his 2008 conviction. He focused on AI, biotech, and science philanthropy, courting Hoffman through MIT and approaching Thiel for possible co‑investment introductions.452

  Epstein Timeline

Year/PeriodEvent/Development
Feb 2014Musk photographed with Maxwell at Vanity Fair Oscars after‑party, Musk later says he stepped into frame accidentally.6
Sept 2014Epstein calendar entry: 'Lunch – Peter Thiel,' 11 E 71st St., Manhattan.4
Oct 2014 – Aug 2015Six Hoffman–Epstein dinners and planning e‑mails, Hoffman visits Epstein townhouse with Joi Ito to discuss science gifts, single round‑trip on Epstein jet TEB➜BOS.45
Sept 2015Internal MIT e‑mail: Hoffman thanks Ito for introducing him to 'J.E.' and offers to co‑sponsor a program, later released by MIT investigation.5
Aug 2019NYT and Axios reveal Hoffman's visits, Hoffman issues public apology for 'poor judgment.'18
Apr 2023WSJ publishes Epstein calendars, confirms Thiel lunch and Hoffman pattern, raises Musk e‑mail claims.42
2019–2025No further verified contact involving any PayPal member, legal focus shifts to Epstein estate.910

  Assessment

Only Hoffman engaged Epstein repeatedly, seeking science philanthropy dollars, Thiel is linked by a single planned meal with no follow‑up, Musk appears via a social photo and disputed e‑mails.

For the remaining PayPal cohort, exhaustive reviews of flight logs, court exhibits, and 2023 calendar leaks show no ties. The available evidence places PayPal-connected tech capital at the fringe of Epstein's post‑conviction network rather than within his core deal flow.

  References

  Footnotes

  1. MIT's Epstein Enablers, Axios ↩ ↩2

  2. Thiel–Epstein Meeting Reported, Forbes ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Musk Subpoenaed in Epstein Case, Forbes ↩ ↩2

  4. Epstein's Private Calendar, Wall Street Journal ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  5. MIT–Epstein Ties Concealed, New Yorker ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  6. Epstein Met Trump Associates, Independent ↩ ↩2

  7. Epstein–Thiel Meetings, Yahoo News ↩

  8. Musk Denies Epstein SpaceX Visit, Business Insider ↩

  9. Hoffman Apologizes for Epstein Ties, Business Insider ↩

  10. Epstein's 50th Birthday Letters, Wall Street Journal ↩

Published on January 1, 2014

4 min read