A massive leak of internal documents has exposed Dialog, an invitation-only secret club co-founded in 2006 by billionaire PayPal backer Peter Thiel, where powerful figures from politics, tech, media, and business meet for private, off-the-record discussions away from public scrutiny.
The exposed records reportedly list hundreds of associated names, including Donald Trump-linked officials and tech titans like Elon Musk, and reveal plans for an upcoming luxury retreat near Dublin in August. The programme is said to span topics from AI and nuclear power to World War 3, sex, happiness, and even how to build a cult, while the leak also alleges the group grades attendees by influence and uses matchmaking systems to steer who members sit with, meet, or potentially date.
Critics Warn of Elite Influence
Critics are reportedly warning that the richest and most connected can play above the rules while ordinary people are left in the dark. The leak appeared in Dialog's website source code and was visible via an Internet Archive snapshot dated June 15, before being spotted by a hacktivist on BlueSky.
Some people contacted tried to distance themselves from Dialog, insisting they were not members or had only brief involvement years ago, The Guardian reported. One denial came from Colorado Governor Jared Polis' spokesperson, who said: No, Governor Polis is not a member of this organisation, whatever it is. He does not know why his name is associated with the organisation in any way or appeared on their website.
Democrat senator of New Jersey Cory Booker's spokesperson also pushed back, saying: Cory is not involved with this group. Back when he was a mayor he regularly attended conferences and speaking engagements, and this might have been among them. He is not a part of this organisation and has absolutely no interest in doing anything with them.
Defenders and Critics Speak Out
Other attendees defended the concept of private discussion. Retired general Stanley McChrystal told The Guardian: I did attend two Dialog events about a decade ago but I don't believe it constituted membership. My experience was all positive.
But critics say secrecy is the whole problem. Janine Wedel, an expert on power networks, warned: It is in these sorts of gatherings - where you have financial, tech and political power coming together - that we're increasingly seeing agendas being set and opinions being shaped. She added: There do seem to be a growing number of fora involved in precisely this. So I think it's a problem for democracy, in essence. We have to think about it that way.
The Guardian also reported the leak has renewed scrutiny over links between wealth and influence, including emails released by a House oversight committee which show tech entrepreneur Auren Hoffman invited Jeffrey Epstein to a 2014 conference, though it is not known whether he attended.
