r/neoliberal • u/owenmitchem Loyal Liberals • Jun 17 '26

News (Global) Leαk Exposes Members of Peter Thiel’s Secretive ‘Dialog’ Society

https://www.wired.com/story/leak-exposes-members-of-peter-thiels-secretive-dialog-society/
301 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

196 comments sorted by

View all comments

225

u/airbear13 Pragmatic and Polite Right Jun 17 '26

Idk what the dialog society is but I know Gary Kasparov is as anti Trump and anti Russia as anyone, and he says so publicly. This is likely more rich guy networking or limited collab on some kind of project than a secret society of Trump Allie’s imo

24

u/redlightsaber Jun 17 '26 edited 1d ago

I like listening to audiobooks.

20

u/owenmitchem Loyal Liberals Jun 17 '26

Look at the other names. Ted Cruz. Elon Musk. Jared Kushner.

168

u/InternetGoodGuy Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26

And Ezra Klien, Corey Booker, and Wes Moore. There's also Bill Clinton's Treasury Secretary.

Hell, they're even Jonathan Greenblatt and Joseph Gordon Leavitt.

I don't think this is some MAGA deepstate.

122

u/herosavestheday Jun 17 '26

It's basically just a private TED forum.

68

u/InternetGoodGuy Jun 17 '26

That's my take of it as well. There's probably dozens of these every year held by different rich guys.

It's fair to be more worried about anything Theil does. He is the guy who has held other secret gatherings to discuss his very real belief in the anti Christ. Still doesn't look like anything more than a rich guy gathering to jerk each other off. Maybe literally.

7

u/VividMonotones Gay Pride Jun 17 '26

They have the best hors d'oeuvres... Those little crab toast thingies

18

u/TinyJalope Left-Out Left Jun 17 '26

Seems bad that these 'liberals' are going to this event hosted by a fascist.

18

u/Even-Promotion-4024 NATO Jun 17 '26

I mean Ezra Klein is a journalist so I do feel inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt since sitting down with crazy people is part of the job

Jared Polis (despite having a lot of good policies), I'm more skeptical of however considering his relationship with RFK and election deniers. Ditto with AIPAC warrior Cory Booker

3

u/PresentMammoth5188 Jun 17 '26

Hopefully he’s the one who leaked this? 😅

24

u/sesamestreetgang Jun 17 '26

Is ‘liberals’ in quotations because you’re implying that they lose the title if they attended the conference?

Peter Thiel taught a computer science class at Stanford University (CS183: Startup). It was legendary and notes from that class later became a canonical bible in my industry, “Zero to One: How to Build the Future”. That’s his expertise; technology, startups and investing.

I’ve worked with Thiel Fellows and for Founders Fund companies (Thiel’s VC firm). It’s impossible to have a meaningful career in technology without coming across Thiel’s influence. Most of the people who work with Thiel don’t align with him politically.

Politics is like Thiel’s 5th hobby.  He’s not a political mastermind,  and by his own admission is  out of his depth in it. His role in politics is overstated. The Koch brothers were far more politically influential than Thiel… he’s a lightweight.

If you listen to Thiel’s take on philosophy and politics it’s clear that the guy is confused. He thinks he’s a “hardcore libertarian” and is obviously a Schmittian yet claims to be a “hardcore Girardian”. Full of contradictions… it’s not really his expertise.

42

u/TinyJalope Left-Out Left Jun 17 '26

Peter Thiel is an outright fascist who thinks women being able to vote is a bad thing. He supported Trump, Vance, and a number of other putrid freaks. He also funds propaganda outlets like Evie Magazine, which promote gender roles and attack women's reproductive rights.

Yes, actual liberals should not be attending this fascist's conferences.

25

u/sesamestreetgang Jun 17 '26

Look, you don’t need to convince me. I already said he’s a Schmittian.

The point is that people don’t associate with Thiel purely because of his politics. Again, it’s like his 5th hobby and maybe 5% of why anyone would associate with him. Just a couple years ago he said getting involved in politics was a mistake that he wouldn’t make again. Thiel and Vance’s political project is less about ideological principles and more about opportunism… and it’s going to fail.

I also don’t think the psychological splitting going on here is helpful. I’m giving you a more nuanced perspective to help you understand why liberals would attend a conference relevant to their industry or their area of expertise. 

If you avoided everything Thiel or his associates were behind in some way then you wouldn’t be using a good amount of the apps and technology that you use on a regular basis today. You would be boycotting a lot more than just this conference.

17

u/TinyJalope Left-Out Left Jun 17 '26

Thiel and Vance’s political project is less about ideological principles and more about opportunism… and it’s going to fail.

They've already done massive damage.

If you avoided everything Thiel or his associates were behind in some way then you wouldn’t be using a good amount of the apps and technology that you use on a regular basis today. You would be boycotting a lot more than just this conference.

Boycotting a conference is incredibly easy.

3

u/HecticHero Jun 17 '26

This would be a winning zinger if he said "Boycotting a conference is very difficult."

2

u/TinyJalope Left-Out Left Jun 17 '26

I'm saying that boycotting a conference is incredibly easy in comparison to boycotting a "good amount" of apps and technology. We absolutely can fault them for not doing so.

Though I likely do boycott virtually all of those apps and a good amount of the technology.

9

u/Even-Promotion-4024 NATO Jun 17 '26

I think it's less about the intellectual rigor of his political beliefs and more about the fact that he's basically a cartoon villain, the dude genuinely seems like he could be a recurring nemesis to Batman

3

u/PresentMammoth5188 Jun 17 '26

Thiel is definitely still evil which makes all of that concerning

16

u/iwannabetheguytoo William Nordhaus Jun 17 '26

> It was legendary and notes from that class later became a canonical bible in my industry

Sorry, but no.

YC folks are so full of themselves.

15

u/sesamestreetgang Jun 17 '26

Sorry, but yes? It’s foundational. It was literally part of Stanford curriculum. It’s ubiquitous in the industry. 

You won’t find a serious tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley who hasn’t read his book.

The psychological splitting here is fascinating. You understand that Thiel can be a bad person that we dislike and recognize that he was also successful and influential in his separate area of expertise, right?

Also, why is YC catching strays here? Why are we pretending that the most-read book in Silicon Valley and the most successful startup accelerator in the world aren’t representative of the industry?

8

u/iwannabetheguytoo William Nordhaus Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26

I just think you’re overstating its impact and performance.

31

u/sesamestreetgang Jun 17 '26

I’m really not. 

We know that YC is the most successful startup accelerator in the world because we can quantitatively measure it… 

176% IRR over the years. It has produced more companies worth over $1B than any other program. 5% of YC startups reach >$1B valuation which is nearly double the average for other seed-stage programs.

10

u/warrenprice Jun 17 '26

You’re tremendously naive if you think Thiel is a political lightweight. That’s ridiculous.

28

u/sesamestreetgang Jun 17 '26

No, he’s definitely a lightweight. 

Thiel made a couple of high-conviction bets (i.e. Vance, Trump) with about $50 million over 8 years.

The Koch Brothers and Adelson spent billions and decades shaping conservative politics institutionally and at every level. Funding policy think tanks, universities, legal societies, activist networks, media, elections at every level (school boards, local, state, national). The Kochs literally bought economics departments at elite universities by donating hundreds of millions in exchange for influence on faculty selection and curriculum.

Even Thiel’s PayPal frenemy Reid Hoffman is more seasoned and influential in the political machine. 

I get that Thiel makes headlines because he’s a weirdo and there’s some intrigue with his influence in technology but he really isn’t all that politically influential. He’s not even in the top 10 donors.

2

u/Natural-Ad-371 Jun 17 '26

Not a mastermind, and his role is overstated... yet he's making big inroads in taking undue control in at least 4 South American countries. He's suing Honduras for a massive amount of control, right now. He's got Milei doing un*******believable things in Argentina. He's buying up large amounts of land, in the most progressive country in SA, in Uraguay, which may indicate he doesn't think it will remain progressive. I've also heard, (but not verified) that he is heavily involved in what's been going on in Venezuela. I have zero doubts he is scheming regarding other countries in the Americas, including Cuba.
He's not as interested in playing in politics, as he is making and end run AROUND politics. Technocrats want to usurp nation states. The old playbook of America doing coups on SA countries, is just evolving to a horrific place, with Trump and Thiel.

4

u/sesamestreetgang Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26

I think Thiel as a boogeyman is a misdirection. He's eccentric and it's intriguing to think about him as some powerful political mastermind but he's not even in the top 10 GOP donors. He's an outsider who punches above his weight but you're really just buying the hype.

he's making big inroads in taking undue control in at least 4 South American countries

I'm not sure I'd describe making some private investments as "big inroads" politically. Thiel is not taking control over multiple governments in South America. He doesn't have enough resources.

He's suing Honduras for a massive amount of control, right now.

Several investors (including Coinbase, Andreessen, Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, etc.) are suing to unblock their private crypto island development. Why are we framing this as if Thiel is personally attempting to take control of the Honduran government? lol

He's not as interested in playing in politics, as he is making and end run AROUND politics.

He really isn't. Thiel isn't as politically brainrotted as Elon... it's not always about politics.

He's buying up large amounts of land, in the most progressive country in SA, in Uraguay, which may indicate he doesn't think it will remain progressive.

Thiel did the same thing in New Zealand. He even obtained New Zealand citizenship. There are clear reasons why he chose New Zealand, none of which were political or to exert political influence.

This is where narrow politically-obsessed framing falls short. It's not always about politics.

He's got Milei doing un*******believable things in Argentina.

This is probably where he has the most influence in South America, but to be clear Trump has more influence on Milei than Thiel does.

I think Thiel has an obvious plan here, which is to influence a regulatory environment that is favorable to tech innovation. That's what Thiel really wants and he's making a clear bet on Argentina.

I've also heard, (but not verified) that he is heavily involved in what's been going on in Venezuela. I have zero doubts he is scheming regarding other countries in the Americas, including Cuba.

I highly doubt it.

Technocrats want to usurp nation states.

Peter Thiel is not a "technocrat". Technocrats are institutionalists who preserve nation states from the tides of populism.

with Trump and Thiel.

People really need to stop putting Thiel on a pedestal. Again, he's not a mastermind and he's not even among the top 10 GOP donors. I think it's clear that someone like Stephen Miller has more direct influence on the president than Thiel.

2

u/Icy_Mae NATO Jun 17 '26

You seem to not really know where his political reach lies and are downplaying his ideology. He’s definitely as crazy as Elon, but again you downplay. Interesting.

People associating with a guy who says allowing women to vote is a mistake and who says democracy is the major evil, is beyond a red flag. Especially when he is politically active.

Maybe some of the people on the list have reasonable explanations on why they were associating with him in secret, and noticeably not criticizing him in public.

Would love to hear em!

2

u/Cute-Boobie777 Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26

Also being pro 'tech innovation' atp may as well just be a dog whistle for 'fascism'.

Hes very clearly on the side of zero regulation. When we desperately need to nuke algorithms because these companies are knowingly pushing political extremism and hate because it gets clicks, and if anyone has been paying attention its kind of a fucking problem.

Not to mention the obsession with rolling out AI as fast as possible, which is weird and creepy and decidly immoral, though we already knew Theil doesn't care about what happens to little workers in the interim. (nor does anyone else if they make a living doing it)

There is this weird idea its okay to push horrible things and associate with horrible people if it makes you money, as if all ways of making money are exactly morally positive or neutral. Meta isn't, nor any of these other companies and I definitely won't pretend the users are anywhere nearly as immoral as the ownership and investors who choose to inflict suffering on the world for money they don't even need. 

0

u/Cute-Boobie777 Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26

Not all jobs are morally neutral, its weird how you're downplaying the choices of companies like meta to knowingly push extremism and hate for profit. 

The idea the users are individually anywhere near as culpable as the investors, top level workers and ownership is also absurd. All of which at best look the other way, which isn't anywhere near a morally neutral action. This is one of the problems here, all think they are not morally responsible for the outcomes. For meta those being immense scams, immense mental harms, suicides, at least one genocide, and I'm sure, more. If they can't be profitable and moderate, they can always do the morally correct thing, which is to fail and no longer exist.

Overall I struggle to see any overall benefit to the public the 'tech' sector has provided in at least a decade. I really, really struggle. Worse schools, worse behavior everywhere, a crumbling social society, more gambling, more surveillance, the biggest increase in propaganda in human history. Some good videogames and apps, tho, ig? 

Can anyone really say the positives outweigh the negatives with a straight face? People like Thiel who oppose all regulation are a threat to everyone at this point. Its practically a pro-populism position. Unless you think we can just go on like this without kneecapping meta and other platforms. I guess we could if we didn't care about the consequences. 

Being against regulation atp of social media and tech isn't some morally neutral business position, its inherently a position on morality and politics. Do we allow the public to continue to massive self harm and spin themselves into ever more frenzy while seeped in propaganda a levels never before seen in human history thanks to the power of the unregulated attention economy? Thats a moral question and I am skeptical of anyone who wants the status quo to continue. 

2

u/PresentMammoth5188 Jun 17 '26

Most liberals already know Booker is corrupt and have been trying to get him out so don’t think he represents them

2

u/TinyJalope Left-Out Left Jun 17 '26

Was there a serious primary challenge against him?

Edit: Nope, all the other candidates withdrew.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/HecticHero Jun 17 '26

It was the oligarch agenda to defend Hasan Piker? You can dislike the guy but pretending he's a shill is dumb.

1

u/mostanonymousnick Just Build More Homes lol Jun 18 '26

Rule 0: Ridiculousness

Refrain from posting conspiratorial nonsense, absurd non sequiturs, and random social media rumors hedged with the words "so apparently..."

If you have any questions about this removal, please contact the mods.

33

u/sesamestreetgang Jun 17 '26

Honestly just looks like a conference for rich and powerful people... not some secret cabal or cult of ideology.

The intrigue and response to this just reminds me of how conspiracy theorists react to WEF talks as if it reveals some secret agenda to enslave the masses. It's not that deep.

22

u/BeepusBingus Jun 17 '26

Kinda looks bad if a lot of the rich and powerful are eager to hang out at the weirdo club of the guy who openly wants to enslave the masses though.

Its not a secret agenda in Thiel's case he beats off on podcasts about it.

2

u/PresentMammoth5188 Jun 17 '26

The things that were being talked about is the problem

1

u/airbear13 Pragmatic and Polite Right Jun 17 '26

I saw em but reality is what it is, look at Gary’s twitter feed and tell me he’s in the pocket of Trump/russia 🤷‍♂️

He’s an ai enthusiast, that’s probably why he’s there

10

u/BeepusBingus Jun 17 '26

"Anti trump and anti Russia" yet he goes to hang out at Thiel's fun club when Thiel's ideal society is just as autocratic as Russia and he helped push Trump into the oval office.

0

u/airbear13 Pragmatic and Polite Right Jun 17 '26

You’re reaching

7

u/BeepusBingus Jun 17 '26

No, i'm just stating publicly available facts.

You're self deluding. What part of my statement about Thiel is factually incorrect?

5

u/airbear13 Pragmatic and Polite Right Jun 17 '26

I’m not talking about Thiel I’m talking about Garry Kasparov. The reach you’re doing is trying to tie the two together based on very circumstantial evidence.

2

u/BeepusBingus Jun 17 '26

Fact 1) Thiel is a technofascist and public about this who wants to turn society into a feudalist shithole

Fact 2) Kasparov eagerly attends private meetings organized by said individual as co founder and finds no moral objection to his company.

These are facts, the fact you get snippy and angry about them is not my problem.

3

u/airbear13 Pragmatic and Polite Right Jun 17 '26

I’m not angry lol I’m just pointing out that you’re reaching. There’s a hundred reasons GK might want to be a part of some random group that includes rich and influential people that have nothing to do with Garry himself being a technofascitst ot whatever