Gawker was a prominent, provocative U.S. digital media outlet and blog network founded in 2003 that specialized in bold, irreverent news, gossip, and cultural commentary.
Its main site—along with offshoots like Jezebel, Gizmodo, and Deadspin— gained notoriety for exposing the private lives of public figures with a focus on media, celebrity, and tech, sometimes crossing ethical boundaries.
In 2016, Gawker Media was driven to bankruptcy and shutdown after a $140 million court judgment resulting from a lawsuit brought by Hulk Hogan and secretly funded by Peter Thiel. [1][2][3][4]
In summary, the Gawker case is a case study in Thiel’s guiding principle: those with vision, resources, and will can and should shape events—using the tools of law, money, and strategic secrecy—to change society, undermine opponents, and protect their interests, even at the cost of public transparency and democratic contest. [9][6][8][11][13][5]