Who Is Keith Rabois?

Keith Rabois is an entrepreneur, investor, and lawyer, currently a general partner at Founders Fund, which was established by fellow PayPal mafia members Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek, and Ken Howery. Keith Rabois, also was in the so-called PayPal mafia, as one of the key executives in the team of PayPal of the early days.

Category	Details
Full Name	Keith Rabois
Date of Birth	March 17, 1969
Place of Birth	Edison, New Jersey, USA
Nationality	American
Education	Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Stanford University, Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School
Early Career	Worked at Sullivan & Cromwell, Senior Executive at PayPal, LinkedIn, Slide, and Square
Major Companies Founded	Opendoor, Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, OpenStore
Positions	General Partner at Founders Fund, Managing Partner at Khosla Ventures, Co-founder of Opendoor, Co-founder and CEO of OpenStore
Major Projects	Senior roles in PayPal and Square, Co-founding of Opendoor (a real estate tech company) and OpenStore (a platform for small business acquisition)
Notable Achievements	Instrumental in the success of PayPal and Square, Significant influence in the tech and venture capital sectors

Table of Contents

Education and meeting with Thiel

Rabois studied political science at Stanford University and earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1991.

Whilst at Stanford, he met Peter Thiel and subsequently contributed to his libertarian newspaper The Stanford Review.

Three years later, Rabois received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He briefly worked as a court clerk and then as a corporate litigator before shifting into business.

PayPal and LinkedIn

Rabois was hired by PayPal in 2000, primarily serving as its EVP of Business Affairs, Public Affairs, and Policy. Like Nosek, he left PayPal after its 2002 acquisition by eBay.

Rabois then worked for LinkedIn between 2005 and 2007 – a company founded by fellow PayPal mafia member Reid Hoffman.

In his role as VP of Business and Corporate Development, Rabois’ developed LinkedIn answers, public profiles, and established new corporate advertising streams.

He also worked for social gaming company Slide in a similar capacity and then payment provider Square as its COO. In 2014, Rabois founded the online real estate marketplace OpenDoor.

Founders Fund and investment philosophy

Five years later, in 2019, Rabois was reunited with Thiel when he joined the VC firm Founders Fund as a general partner.

One of the traits Rabois looks for before investing is whether an individual has the tenacity and resourcefulness to see an idea to fruition.

He has never been a firm believer in thesis-basis investing, instead choosing to invest in founders who teach him about how the world is changing and what is possible.

Since the fundamental qualities that define successful people are constant, Rabois has noted in interviews that his success rate has improved over the years with more experience.

Key highlights about Keith Rabois:

Education and Early Career: Rabois studied political science at Stanford University, where he met Peter Thiel and contributed to Thiel’s libertarian newspaper, The Stanford Review. He later earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and briefly worked as a court clerk and corporate litigator before transitioning into business.
Role at PayPal and LinkedIn: Rabois joined PayPal in 2000 as its EVP of Business Affairs, Public Affairs, and Policy. After PayPal’s acquisition by eBay in 2002, he moved on to work for LinkedIn between 2005 and 2007. At LinkedIn, Rabois served as VP of Business and Corporate Development, where he contributed to the development of key features and advertising streams.
Career in Tech Companies: Rabois continued his career in tech by working for companies like Slide, a social gaming company, and Square, where he served as COO. In 2014, he founded OpenDoor, an online real estate marketplace.
Founders Fund and Investment Philosophy: In 2019, Rabois reunited with Peter Thiel at Founders Fund, where he serves as a general partner. His investment philosophy revolves around identifying founders with the tenacity and resourcefulness to see their ideas through. He prioritizes investing in founders who teach him about how the world is changing and what is possible, rather than adhering to a strict thesis-based approach.
Success and Experience: Rabois believes that the fundamental qualities that define successful people remain constant over time. With more experience, he has noted an improvement in his success rate when investing in startups.