Disruption is this tech boom s cliche.
But famed billionaire investor Peter Thiel got a taste of disruption of a different kind in Berkeley Wednesday night, as the San Jose Mercury News reported.
The PayPal cofounder powered through his speech on UC Berkeley s campus despite the growing cries of protesters trying to enter the hall, according to .
His topic, according to , the event organizer: Philosophies on creating truly innovative startups and how to navigate a future marked by globalization in a world of scarce resources.
For the past five nights in Berkeley and Oakland, people have taken to the streets and highways to protest police tactics.
As the chants and banging grew louder, and Thiel continued, the audience sat in tense silence.
One student rose from the crowd and shouted an obscenity at Thiel. He apparently disagreed with Thiel s point of view, according to The Daily Californian.
Thiel s response: This is really a classic Berkeley event today — this is so cool!
The student left. Leaving the doors unlocked.
Then things became less genteel.
Protesters flooded into the hall, resulting in a tug of war battle with event s organizers, according to the Daily Cal.
Some protesters, perhaps remembering that Thiel was Facebook s first investor, yelled No police state — no NSA! as they stormed the stage.
At some point according to Quartz, the demonstrators were chanting Black lives matter! with the audience members responding Peter Thiel matters!
By the time things settled down, Thiel had left the podium.
Above: Peter Thiel from Mercury News archives
