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International media conglomerate Axel Springer, which owns multiple major news outlets, announced on Friday that it is awarding its 2026 Axel Springer Award to far right billionaire Peter Thiel, recognizing the Palantir co-founder for his “societal impact” and entrepreneurial feats as his company seeks to build out a mass surveillance network across the U.S.

The Axel Springer Award, the company says, “pays tribute to a person who has created new markets, reshaped existing ones in an extraordinary way, and left a lasting mark on the technological, economic, and societal debates of our time.” The press release on the announcement recognizes him for his co-founding of PayPal as well as for his work in creating Palantir, which it praises as “one of the most valuable companies of our time and one that is crucial to the resilience of democracies.”

In the past, the company has awarded its prize, which is non-monetary, to other right-wing tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Sam Altman. The company intends to hold a ceremony for the prize on September 24 in Berlin, and will reportedly include remarks by Bari Weiss, the right-wing, pro-Israel editor-in-chief of CBS News.

Axel Springer is a Germany-based media conglomerate that owns Politico and Business........

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