BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel has acquired a 1% stake in Vista, a major energy producer operating in Argentina’s massive Vaca Muerta shale formation.
A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing published on Friday revealed that the Palantir chair and co-founder made the move through his hedge fund, Thiel Macro LLC. The fund picked up nearly 1.2 million American Depositary Shares in Vista for roughly $76 million.
The major stock purchase comes four months after Thiel met with Argentine President Javier Milei at the presidential palace. Following that meeting, Milei told a local news outlet that the two discussed economic ideas and their shared opposition to wealth taxes.
Local media also reported that Thiel recently bought a mansion in an upscale neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
Vista holds significant operations in Vaca Muerta, located in the Neuquen province of Patagonia. The shale formation—roughly the size of Belgium—holds the world’s second-largest shale gas reserves and fourth-largest oil reserves.
Vista currently pumps 160,000 barrels of oil equivalent every day and has invested over $6.5 billion in the country. Back in May, the company raised its investment and production targets for the site.
Thiel’s hedge fund declared a total portfolio value of $418.7 million. Alongside the new Vista investment, Thiel Macro holds stakes in:
- Amazon
- Vistra
- X-Energy
- American Electric Power
- DTE Energy
- FirstEnergy
- CMS Energy
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The energy move aligns with broader development plans in the region. President Milei has voiced plans to leverage Patagonia’s vast open spaces and cool climate to construct large data centers.
Data center projects in other regions of Latin America have faced local pushback over their heavy energy and water demands.
