It's safe to assume that once the secret location of the secretive conference stopped being so secret, the organizers and attendees went looking for a more private venue.
What did Taylor Swift and many celebs do yesterday at Madison Square Garden (a public venue)? All the news says she got married, but does that mean you're trusting the news media?
The group used to be pretty secretive and unknown until a hacker managed to discover Dialog not protecting their membership data properly - and found, among others, a shit ton of billionaires [1] and politicians including former German health minister Jens Spahn [2].
What meaningful complaint can you have about a meeting that includes Ted Cruz on one side and Wes Moore on the other; both Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman?
If the hotel cancelled it, it's suicide for the hotel. Who would ever book a private event that hotel again, let alone staying at that hotel if you're a private individual?
Hotels cancel events all the time, when they prove to be more trouble than they're worth. In extreme cases, they might cancel the event while it's running and kick out the attendees and organizers.
It's safe to assume that once the secret location of the secretive conference stopped being so secret, the organizers and attendees went looking for a more private venue.
Hotel wants to avoid undesirable guests. Seems reasonable.
How is this secretive if venue is public?
It wasn't public until a an investigative journalist wrote an article about it after the membership of the group was exposed first. Per TFA:
> A leaked schedule for the “retreat” hosted by Dialog, an invitation-only group
Working as intended. Though Peter Thiel will do his utmost to further destroy journalists, I’m sure.
What did Taylor Swift and many celebs do yesterday at Madison Square Garden (a public venue)? All the news says she got married, but does that mean you're trusting the news media?
Public venue, private ("secret") event.
Like area 51.
The group used to be pretty secretive and unknown until a hacker managed to discover Dialog not protecting their membership data properly - and found, among others, a shit ton of billionaires [1] and politicians including former German health minister Jens Spahn [2].
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/06/18/what-we...
[2] https://correctiv.org/aktuelles/das-spahn-netzwerk/2026/06/1...
Part of the list:
General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent
Army secretary Dan Driscoll
Hallie Hoffman, acting chief of staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn)
Wes Moore, Maryland governor
Jared Polis, Colorado governor
Tom Lue, general counsel and head of governance at Google DeepMind
Randy Kroszner, a former governor of the Federal Reserve
Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League
Peter Goettler, president of the Cato Institute
Ryan Stowers, executive director of the Charles Koch Foundation
Roger Myerson, Nobel laureate economist
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law
Neal Mohan, YouTube CEO
Scooter Braun, Music manager
Ezra Klein, political commentator
Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post reporter
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor
Sophia Bush, actress
Rick Warren, evangelical pastor
Elon Musk ($1.3 trillion)
Eric Schmidt ($40.1 billion)
Peter Thiel ($27.8 billion)
Henry Kravis ($12.2 billion)
Marcos Galperin ($6.8 billion)
Mike Cannon-Brookes ($7.7 billion)
Scott Cook ($4.4 billion)
Barry Sternlicht ($3.1 billion)
Nicolas Berggruen ($2.9 billion)
John Arnold ($2.8 billion)
Joe Lonsdale ($2.8 billion)
Reid Hoffman ($2.7 billion)
What meaningful complaint can you have about a meeting that includes Ted Cruz on one side and Wes Moore on the other; both Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman?
[delayed]
"Cult-building" on the agenda?
I guess if you think you're meeting is a secret then you can just say what your agenda is out in the open.
I mean there's no question these guys are the baddies, right? Look at every reason Peter Thiel has been in the news for the last year
Should've hosted them and served them cream of mushroom soup https://youtu.be/sNTuR-WD6os
If the hotel cancelled it, it's suicide for the hotel. Who would ever book a private event that hotel again, let alone staying at that hotel if you're a private individual?
Hotels cancel events all the time, when they prove to be more trouble than they're worth. In extreme cases, they might cancel the event while it's running and kick out the attendees and organizers.
Why is a privately owned hotel compelled to deal with controversy not of its making?
Perhaps things work differently for those of South African persuasion…