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A secretive, invitation-only society founded by billionaire tech investor and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel is suddenly a lot less secret.
This week, Swiss hacktivist and researcher Maia Arson Crimew revealed what appears to be a list of more than 100 members of Dialog, the little-known organization Thiel launched in 2006 alongside entrepreneur Auren Hoffman. The alleged roster was reportedly embedded in the code of Dialog’s otherwise sparse website, allowing journalists and researchers to extract names linked to the group.
The leak, first reported and independently verified by WIRED, offers a rare glimpse inside one of the most exclusive networking circles in technology, politics, finance, and national security. Dialog has long been compared to the Bilderberg Group (described by the BBC as “perhaps the most controversial clandestine organisation of our times”), hosting off-the-record retreats that bring together senators, governors, military officials, hedge fund managers, tech founders, academics, and media figures. Unlike many elite conferences, Dialog does not publicly disclose its membership or attendee lists.
The X account Capitol Hunters highlighted the discovery in a viral post. “A leak exposed the membership of Peter Thiel’s secretive Dialog network, a private society that hosts exclusive annual retreats for influential people in technology, politics, and business,” the account wrote, sharing screenshots of what appeared to be member records and attendee information. The post described Dialog as “a highly curated community of elite thinkers and leaders” that has operated largely outside public view.
According to the leaked records reviewed by WIRED, Dialog’s network includes a random assortment of figures, including Elon Musk, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Sen. Cory Booker, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, and former Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Entrepreneur and self-proclaimed “biohacker” Bryan Johnson, Lisa Monaco, who helped lead the January 6 prosecutions, former record executive and talent manager (and boyfriend to Sydney Sweeney) Scooter Braun, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and numerous executives from companies including Palantir, Google DeepMind, and major investment firms, are also on the previously top-secret list.
The leak emerged after Crimew said an anonymous source tipped journalists off to exposed files connected to Dialog’s website. WIRED reported that the exposed records included attendee histories, membership statuses, biographies, and registration data for hundreds of participants.
Thiel’s growing Miami empire
The revelations arrive as Thiel’s influence in South Florida has expanded dramatically.
Earlier this month, reports surfaced that Thiel’s family office leased space at Miami’s trophy office tower 830 Brickell, reportedly setting a new record for office rents in the city. The office will join a roster of heavyweight tenants at the 55-story tower, including Ken Griffin’s Citadel Securities, private equity giant Thoma Bravo, and Microsoft.
Meanwhile, Palantir — the controversial data analytics and surveillance company Thiel co-founded in 2003 — relocated its headquarters to Miami earlier this year, cementing South Florida’s growing role as a hub for Thiel’s business empire. Thiel also maintains a residence in Miami Beach and has expanded the footprint of several investment firms in the region.
The move has fueled concerns among privacy advocates and civil-liberties groups because Palantir’s software is widely used by government agencies, including immigration enforcement, military, intelligence, and law enforcement organizations. Critics have long argued that the company represents the growing fusion of Silicon Valley, surveillance technology, and government power.
A window into a powerful network
Dialog’s secrecy has made it a magnet for speculation for years. The organization operates largely out of public view, hosts expensive retreats, and enforces strict off-the-record rules for discussions. Organizers have argued that confidentiality allows participants from different ideological backgrounds to engage in candid conversations.
But the newly exposed records offer one of the clearest looks yet at the people shaping conversations around artificial intelligence, national security, politics, and the future of technology.
For Miami, where Thiel, Palantir, Founders Fund, and an increasing number of tech power players have planted flags, the leak underscores how some of the city’s newest power brokers operate within networks that rarely face public scrutiny.
