Inside Peter Thiel’s Secretive Club Where Global Elites Talk World War III And ‘Building A Cult’

Last Updated:June 20, 2026, 10:09 IST

US billionaire Peter Thiel’s secretive Dialog club has been exposed in a leak detailing its influential members, strange discussion topics and internal dating network.

A vast leak of internal documents has opened a rare window into Dialog, an invitation-only network co-founded by US billionaire and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel that has spent nearly two decades hosting private, off-the-record discussions among prominent figures from different industries and political backgrounds.

Dialog presents itself as a forum for exchanging ideas away from social media, news coverage and public pressure.

The exposed records reportedly identify hundreds of people associated with the group, reveal who has registered for its next retreat and detail an eclectic programme ranging from artificial intelligence and global conflict to sex, happiness and even instructions on how to “build a cult".

It also shows that Dialog reportedly grades participants according to their perceived influence, records sensitive personal information and uses matchmaking systems to determine whom members should meet, sit beside or potentially date.

What Is Peter Thiel’s Dialog?

Dialog was established in 2006 by Thiel and technology entrepreneur Auren Hoffman as a private network for prominent figures from business, politics, government, academia, media and entertainment.

Thiel co-founded PayPal and Palantir Technologies, the data analytics and defence company whose software is used by the US government, military and intelligence agencies. Hoffman is an entrepreneur who has founded businesses in the data industry.

Unlike conventional conferences, Dialog has maintained an extremely limited public presence and has never released a comprehensive membership list. Its retreats operate under an off-the-record rule, meaning participants are not supposed to attribute or publicly repeat what others say during the meetings.

The organisation has consequently been compared to the Bilderberg Meeting, the private annual gathering attended by senior political, corporate and financial figures.

Dialog has reportedly organised at least one retreat every year, with previous events held at luxury properties including the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain in Arizona and the San Clemente Palace in Venice.

Statistician Andrew Gelman published an invitation he received in 2022, which described the event’s format and quoted a registration fee exceeding $16,000.

What Did The Dialog Leak Reveal?

According to WIRED, Swiss hacktivist maia arson crimew discovered a directory embedded in the source code of Dialog’s sparse website after receiving an anonymous tip. WIRED said it independently verified the directory and separately obtained registration data for the group’s 2026 retreat.

The records reportedly name 222 people registered for the gathering, scheduled to take place from August 12 to 16 at a venue outside Dublin, Ireland. Of those listed, 87 were marked as first-time attendees, while some had attended Dialog events for more than a decade.

The leaked material includes registration details, attendance histories and membership classifications such as “active member" and “guest".

Separate records reportedly contain highly sensitive information about participants, including private telephone numbers and email addresses, home addresses, birth dates, emergency contacts, photographs, food allergies and political leanings.

WIRED reported that a participant directory was accessible through the organisation’s website code, while documents intended to remain private were stored in an exposed online database.

Who Has Been Listed For The 2026 Retreat?

The registration records bring together figures occupying senior positions across government, defence, finance and technology.

Those listed include US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Republican Senator Ted Cruz, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe and the head of the US European Command.

Democratic Representative Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, also reportedly appears in the records. The committee is responsible for overseeing US intelligence agencies, some of which have contracts with Palantir.

Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and several other members of the network popularly known as the “PayPal Mafia" are also named, alongside ambassadors, former White House officials and senior military and intelligence figures.

The Daily Mail, citing reports about this year’s gathering, named several other prominent figures as expected attendees. These include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan, Microsoft gaming president Sarah Bond and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman.

The report also listed several figures from entertainment and media, including actors Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Sophia Bush, music executive Scooter Braun, composer Benj Pasek, media executive Isaac Lee and journalist Ezra Klein.

However, inclusion in the wider directory does not necessarily prove that a person is a current Dialog member or will attend the Ireland gathering. WIRED reported that the directory also appears to contain former speakers, guests and others who interacted with the organisation in previous years.

‘Navigating WWIII’ And ‘Build-a-Cult’

The leaked agenda offers perhaps the most striking insight into what Dialog’s participants are expected to discuss.

Several sessions focus on war, national security and geopolitical upheaval. Titles include “Navigating WWIII", “Battlefield Technologies", “Bring Back Nuclear", “Three Predictions for Iran" and “Democracy Under Surveillance".

Technology-related discussions include “Disinformation and Deepfakes" and “Contrarian AI Takes". The registration material reportedly shows that many participants believe artificial intelligence could transform employment, warfare, education, politics and religion within the next few years.

Other discussions are considerably more personal or provocative. These include “Money (Does?) Buy Happiness", “How’s Your Sex Life?", “It’s Fun to be in Charge" and “Research-Based Longevity Hacks".

One session is called “Build-a-Cult" and is reportedly due to be moderated by the founder of Pray.com, a Christian prayer and networking platform. Another, titled “Build-a-Party", is linked to a former White House national security official.

The titles do not establish what views will be expressed or endorsed during the sessions.

How Dialog Secretly Ranks Its Participants

A second WIRED investigation based on leaked records found that Dialog internally grades attendees by factors including wealth, fame and influence.

Nearly 200 prominent people were reportedly assigned letter grades and “value-add" scores. These assessments could influence seating arrangements, introductions, meeting recommendations, event fees and decisions about whether someone should continue to be invited.

Despite its participant guide warning members to “avoid status signaling", the internal system appears to quantify status in considerable detail.

“Everyone at Dialog is highly accomplished," the participation guide states. “Only share those aspects of your bio that are most relevant to the conversation or to people getting to know you."

Moderators are also instructed to keep discussions concise, encourage dissenting or “nonobvious" views and remind participants that conversations remain off the record.

Does Dialog Also Operate As A Dating Network?

The leaked documents indicate that Dialog does more than arrange policy and technology discussions. It also offers an internal matchmaking service.

People registering for events are reportedly asked whether they are “looking for love". Those participating in the dating feature may provide further details about their political views and relationship preferences.

Dialog reportedly assures participants that this information will not be publicly displayed or shared directly with other attendees. The data was nevertheless stored in Airtable, a commercial cloud-based database, and became part of the exposed material.

What Have Those Linked To Dialog Said?

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt responded after his name appeared in reports about Dialog, saying that he had attended two of its conferences but had never met or spoken to Thiel.

“I understand why people have questions and are suspicious. Some of the headlines and posts circulating about this are alarming, if not bizarre. So let me clarify," he wrote on Instagram.

“I have been to two Dialog conferences. But, I do not know Peter Thiel. I’ve never met him. I’ve never spoken with him or his representatives. I’ve never seen him at an event. From what I’ve read about his views, we are political and ideological opposites."

Gordon-Levitt said his experience of the conferences was not that of a gathering organised around a single political worldview.

“At the Dialog conferences I’ve been to, there were a wide variety of people, with a wide variety of opinions, some I agreed with, some I didn’t. I can’t speak to every person named in the reporting, but my experience was not of a single ideological gathering," he said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Josh Brolin told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor “would like to know what the f**k he got himself into".

About the Author

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo...Read More

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