SXSW will return to Austin in 2018, and today the festival announced the names of featured speakers and the panels they will participate in. Peter Thiel -- the billionaire PayPal co-founder who backed Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker media -- is one of those featured speakers. Thiel now sits on the board of Facebook, and he's expected to discuss privacy and his involvement in the Gawker lawsuit with author and media strategist Ryan Holiday. Last year, SXSW booked former FBI director James Comey for a panel, which he backed out of due to scheduling conflicts. Other speakers appearing at SXSW this year include Ted Leo, Alex Rodriguez, and Glassnote founder Daniel Glass.
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Ugh, SXSW Booked Peter Thiel
CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 21: Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump received the number of votes needed to secure the party’s nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicked off on July 18. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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