Ugh, SXSW Booked Peter Thiel

Alex Wong / Getty Images

Ugh, SXSW Booked Peter Thiel

Alex Wong / Getty Images

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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