Jim O'Neill (investor)

James O'Neill is an American science and technology investor.

He served in several roles at the Department of Health and Human Services during the Bush administration, co-founded Peter Thiel's Thiel Fellowship in 2010, and served as chief executive officer (CEO) of SENS Research Foundation—a medical research organization focused on rejuvenation—from 2019 to July 2021.^[1]

O'Neill acted as CEO of the Thiel Foundation from 2009 to 2012, and was a managing director at Silicon Valley's Mithril Capital Management from 2012 to 2019. He has been a frequent critic of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and was considered by Donald Trump to lead the agency during his first presidential administration.^[2]

In 2024, President-elect Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate O'Neill to serve as United States deputy secretary of health and human services.^[3]

O'Neill attended Yale University from 1986 to 1990, receiving a B.A. in Humanities. He studied at the University of Chicago from 1996 to 1997, earning an A.M. in Humanities.^[4][5]

Early in his career, O'Neill worked for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and in the White House.^[6] O'Neill worked at the U.S. Department of Education during 2001–2002.^[5][6]

From December 2002 to August 2005, O’Neill served as Director of the Speech and Editorial Division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),^[5] where he wrote or edited all speeches given by the HHS Secretary. He was also a member of the United States Delegation to the World Health Assembly.^{[citation needed]}

He was Associate Deputy Secretary and Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of HHS from August 2005 to November 2007,^[5] where he was involved in policy formulation for various HHS components.

He then served as Principal Associate Deputy Secretary of HHS from November 2007 to October 2008, where he provided advice on policy and programming, helped manage HHS, and his policy portfolio focused on FDA, NIH, AHRQ, the Office of Public Health and Science, BARDA, global health, and the President's Management Agenda. In addition, he served on the President’s Management Council and the Task Force on New Americans.^[5][6]

Before working at Mithril Capital, O'Neill was managing director of Clarium Capital.^[7]

He was CEO of the Thiel Foundation from 2009 to 2012 and was managing director from 2008 to 2012 at Thiel Capital. O'Neill is a co-founder of the Thiel Fellowship, founded in 2010,^[4] which gives 24 students a year $100,000 to drop out of school and pursue entrepreneurial interests,^[8] and Breakout Labs, founded in 2011,^[4] which provides funding to food science and biotech firms.^[7][9]

He was a board member of the SENS Research Foundation^[9] and was appointed CEO of the organization in October 2019,^[10] remaining in that position until July 2021.^[11] He was also a former board member of the Seasteading Institute.^[12]

O'Neill was considered a candidate for the FDA commissioner position and was reportedly favored by Donald Trump's transition team in 2016.^[13][14]

In November 2024, President-elect Trump said he intended to nominate O'Neill to serve as deputy secretary of health and human services under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., both of whom would need confirmation by the United States Senate.^[3]

O'Neill said in a 2014 speech, "We should reform FDA so there is approving drugs after their sponsors have demonstrated safety – and let people start using them, at their own risk, but not much risk of safety....Let’s prove efficacy after they’ve been legalized."^[4]

While at HHS, O'Neill opposed FDA regulation of some companies that use mathematical algorithms to perform complex laboratory-developed tests. "In order to regulate in this space, FDA had to argue that an algorithm, a series of numbers that match up to things, is a medical device," he said. "I found that really astonishing – astonishing that someone could say it with a straight face, and astonishing that someone could claim the ability to shut down companies that were never touching a patient but only accurately matching algorithms."^[4]

In a 2009 talk, he called for freer markets for a wide range of health-care goods and services. "Basically, because there’s not a free market in health care, people are suffering very significant health consequences that in a free market they would not suffer," he said, asserting that a free market in health care "would drive prices much lower and allow innovation in cheaper delivery of care, both in terms of drugs and devices and better forms of delivery."^[4]

He is a libertarian^[7] and an advocate of anti-aging medicine.^[4]