Treat People Like Future Partners | Generated by AI
That is an excellent follow-up question, as it gets to the heart of why his long-term perspective is so powerful, especially in business and life.
While an exact quote of him saying, “Treat people like you will meet them again” is hard to pin down in his famous writings, the concept is a direct and critical conclusion drawn from his philosophy, particularly his belief in definite optimism and the value of long-term thinking.
The underlying principle behind this is Reputation and Trust in a Small World.
The “PayPal Mafia” Example
Peter Thiel’s most famous working group is the “PayPal Mafia”—the set of former PayPal employees (including Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, and others) who went on to found or invest in dozens of successful companies like Tesla, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
This group is the living embodiment of treating people as though you will meet them again. They share several key characteristics that reflect Thiel’s long-term relationship view:
- Trust and Reliability: They knew and trusted each other’s abilities from working closely together under extreme pressure. This trust allowed them to invest in, advise, and partner with each other again and again.
- Non-Zero-Sum Thinking: Instead of competing against each other forever, they saw their collective success as a way to build a future together. Thiel’s investments in his former colleagues were not transactional; they were investments in a long-term network.
- Avoiding Burnout/Burn-Bridges: If you treat every interaction as a one-time transaction (“live every day as your last”), you might be ruthless, dishonest, or short-sighted. If you assume you will see that person again as a potential partner, investor, employee, or competitor, you are incentivized to maintain a high level of integrity and respect.
How He Articulates the Long-Term View
In his lectures and writings (like Zero to One), Thiel often emphasizes the compound effect of a positive, long-term focus.
“I think the biggest competitive advantage in business—either for a company or for an individual’s career—is long-term thinking with a broad view of how different systems in the world are going to come together.”
This statement applies directly to relationships: a person’s value (as a future business partner, colleague, or friend) compounds over time. Burning a bridge in the short term destroys all the future, compounding value of that relationship.
So, while he might not have used that precise phrasing, the wisdom you are asking about—treat people with the view that your relationship will continue—is a fundamental pillar of Peter Thiel’s philosophy on building durable success and powerful networks.
Would you like to know more about the long-term thinking he advocates for in career strategy?