Inside Peter Thiel’s not-so-secret society

Is Peter Thiel running the world via a “secret society” called Dialog?

Rumors are swirling after a list of Dialog’s attendees and members leaked to the public. It includes journalists, politicians, tech figures, academics, and corporate leaders.

The revelation inspired a massive outcry because Dialog is an off-the-record conference of elites—a detail which led some to liken it to a Jeffrey Epstein-like conspiracy. That’s an understandable response when people hear that a creepy Epstein-connected billionaire is quietly convening influential figures on both the political left and right to discuss topics like how to prepare for World War III and how to “Build-a-Cult.”

Such a ridiculous format makes an easy target for conspiracy narratives and mockery. But what is Dialog, really?

Here’s what I wrote on BlueSky last week:

This ain’t the Illuminati, but it is an example of social soft power at work. It accelerates networking between chosen elites, who put aside their differences to form a unique social bond. The agreement on secrecy breaks down barriers, uniting participants in a conspiracy.

Not necessarily a conspiracy to rule the world … but a conspiracy of shared elite status...

Beware, however: Secrecy is a powerful marketing weapon. It makes outsiders think something profound is happening—even if it’s just a sappy conference of dorks. Careful not to give the thing more power than it has.

Over at America 2.0, independent journalist and researcher Dave Troy offers a highly informed and thoughtful take. Troy writes that Dialog is “something more consequential, if less sensational: a long-running influence network…built around light-touch social engineering, that trades on Thiel’s name while operating at arm’s length from him.”

Writes Troy:

Thiel himself is barely there—no hand in running Dialog, rarely present—and the network sits at the loose end of a wider web he backs. Others in that web, working far more directly to place allies in positions of power, have drawn little of the scrutiny now falling on it.

Troy cautions against drawing extreme conclusions about anyone who has ever attended Dialog. I encourage you to read the entire essay. Troy talks to Dialog participants who shed light on how they got involved and what really happens there.

Click here to read: Exclusive: Peter Thiel’s Least Secret Network Is Just One Small Part of a Global Influence Machine.

My take: Participation in Dialog certainly raises some questions—especially for journalists who either paid $16,000 to attend an off-the-record conference or else received discounts, which is potentially more problematic (given journalism ethics rules). Now that the guest list has leaked, the promise of discretion that made Dialog attractive is exactly what’s working against everyone on it. The next time someone gets an invitation to a mysterious off-the-record retreat, they’ll likely do some research first.

Dialog provides a window into the process of how wealthy elites like Thiel and his cronies build quiet networks of influence at various levels. While viral Instagram memes comparing Dialog to an Epstein-style scandal went overboard, they show the degree to which Thiel has become a universal boogeyman who symbolizes elite conspiracies for global control. But the reality is more complex—and alarming—than one snotty private dork conference.

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