Los Angeles: Billionaire Peter Thiel, one of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley and its most prominent conservative, plans to move his home and personal investment firm to Los Angeles because he's disaffected with what he sees as the left-leaning politics of the San Francisco Bay Area, a person familiar with his plans said Thursday.

Thiel, 50, was a co-founder of PayPal Inc. and an early investor in Facebook Inc. - where he still sits on the board - and he has helped finance several other tech startups.

Peter Thiel speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016. Credit:AP

He's also a controversial figure in Silicon Valley because of his support of President Trump and other conservative causes.

He made a $US1.25-million donation to help elect Trump and spoke on Trump's behalf during the Republican National Convention in 2016. His support of the president drew heavy criticism from his tech-industry peers, in particular within Facebook's ranks.