Billionaire Peter Thiel buys 1% stake in Argentine Vaca Muerta oil firm Vista

Published Aug 16, 01:34 AM UTC

Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, through his Thiel Macro LLC hedge fund, purchased approximately 1.2 million American Depositary Shares in Vista, an Argentine oil company operating in the Vaca Muerta shale formation. The stake, valued at about $76 million, represents 1% of Vista's capital, according to an SEC filing published on August 15, 2026. The investment follows Thiel's April 2026 meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, where they discussed economic policies and opposition to wealth taxes. Thiel has also recently bought a mansion in Buenos Aires. Vista produces 160,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and has invested over $6.5 billion in Argentina. The Vaca Muerta formation holds the world's second-largest shale gas and fourth-largest oil reserves. President Milei has expressed interest in using Patagonia's open spaces for data center projects.