Peter Thiel Bets $76 Million on Argentina’s Vaca Muerta Shale
Palantir chairman and hedge fund owner Peter Thiel bought a 1% stake in one of the biggest companies operating in the Vaca Muerta shale formation in Argentina in the latest evidence of the play’s prospects as the world’s second-largest shale oil and gas deposit amid a global crunch. Thiel bought the stake in Vista in the form of American depositary shares worth $76 million, according to a…
Peter Thiel, chairman of Palantir and a prominent hedge fund owner, recently invested $76 million into Vista, one of the leading companies operating in Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale formation. The investment, made in the form of American depositary shares valued at $76 million, is the latest indication of the promising prospects of the play, which is the world's second-largest shale oil and gas deposit.
Thiel's purchase came four months after a meeting with Argentina's president, Javier Milei, where they discussed economic policies and the president's opposition to wealth taxes. Milei also highlighted Argentina's potential in data centers due to its vast open spaces and cool climate, which would reduce cooling demand for such facilities.
Vista currently produces around 160,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily in the Vaca Muerta play, with investments in the formation exceeding $6.5 billion to date. The company plans to continue investing, aiming for even greater contributions to the industry. While the energy boom has not yet fully stimulated the broader Argentinian economy, it is expected to eventually benefit the country.
The Vaca Muerta formation has grown, with crude oil output reaching an all-time high of 887,227 barrels per day in May and natural gas output hitting 5.5 billion cubic feet per day, representing a 5.4% increase from April 2026 and an 11% rise from the same period in 2025.
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