President Santiago Peña met with German-American tech magnate Peter Thiel and Crusoe AI president Cully Cavness at the presidential residence Mburuvicha Róga on Wednesday, according to a report by Ultima Hora. Peña described Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies, as “one of the most visionary investors in the world” and said they discussed “opportunities that Paraguay offers for private capital in sectors such as artificial intelligence, energy, and financial technology.”
Chief of Staff Javier Giménez defended the meeting, stating that the government’s “vision” is to receive entrepreneurs “regardless of creed, personal opinion, or which football club they support.” He added, “We do not make value judgments about what an entrepreneur might think in his free time or might write or read at night on his bedside table. What we demand of entrepreneurs who come is to do one thing: respect the laws.”
Thiel has previously drawn controversy for remarks such as “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.” In late April, he published a manifesto proposing mandatory military service and the rearmament of Germany and Japan, urging Silicon Valley engineers to participate in U.S. “defense.” Giménez did not address these specific ideas.
Peña also met with Cully Cavness, president of Crusoe AI, a company specializing in cloud infrastructure for artificial intelligence. Peña noted Cavness’s interest in Paraguay’s abundant energy supply, which could help power Crusoe AI’s operations. Giménez said both Thiel and Cavness are “world references in everything related to the creation of data centers for artificial intelligence” and that they are “advanced” in exploring Paraguay as a site for part of their operations.
The meetings underscore Paraguay’s push to attract long-term investment in technology and energy sectors, with the government emphasizing stability and economic transformation.