Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue

by Ryan Holiday

Gawker Media would settle with Terry Bollea for roughly $31 million. Ashley Terrill and Shiva Ayyadurai, the defendants in those two cases Thiel and Harder had rammed through at the end that had contributed to Thiel’s exposure, would receive $500,000 and $750,000 respectively. A.J. walked away without any real financial burden. In March 2017, Denton settled with Bollea, who, dropping the $10 million jury award against Denton, would let him emerge with roughly $15 million based on his shares in Gawker Media. The media firm Univision acquired Gawker Media for $135 million in a bankruptcy auction. “My own sense is that if Hogan ended up with more money from it than Denton,” Peter said of his plan, “that would be enough to count as a very solid win.”