Scoop: Dialog, a secretive forum, plans D.C.-area campus

Dialog — a secretive, invite-only network founded two decades ago by Peter Thiel and Auren Hoffman, the star investors and entrepreneurs — is preparing a major expansion, including a real estate purchase to build a campus in the D.C. suburbs, a source familiar with the group's plans tells Axios.Why it matters: Dialog, often compared to a tech-era Bilderberg, has quietly become one of the most elite, and mysterious, gatherings for CEOs, elected officials, and intellectual heavyweights.Dialog leaders are in active discussions to buy a physical venue in Virginia, just outside Washington, to serve as a permanent hub for its off-the-record meetings, the source says.The decision to buy land, then build, within commuting distance of the capital shows the group isn't just kissing President Trump's ring, but plans to be engaged in Washington long after this term.A source invited to participate in Dialog said that amid "rising demand for quieter reflection in an always-on world, Dialog bills itself as offering global elites the chance to talk candidly across ideological lines, away from their phones and the pressures of social media, the news media, and their stakeholders.""Given declining trust in institutions and anti-establishment fervor," this source added, "the group actively keeps its inner workings secretive and hidden from public scrutiny," the source said — adding that the group's "secretive nature allows participants to share controversial and concerning ideas that they would not be comfortable sharing elsewhere."Zoom in: The next flagship Dialog gathering will be in the spring. Smaller retreats are planned sooner, including one in the Middle East this fall. The group is also in talks to acquire at least one smaller, like-minded membership organization "to scale its reach into additional elite circles," the source said.The backstory: Past Dialog participants, who cut across a wide swath of elite influencers, include Elon Musk, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Larry Summers, Chamath Palihapitiya, Henry Kravis, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), Eric Schmidt, Grover Norquist, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Robert Hur and Sophia Bush.Also, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jared Kushner, Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Reema Al-Saud, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, European Commission Vice Chair Kaja Kallas, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, chess champ and activist Garry Kasparov, pastor and author Rick Warren and CFR president emeritus Richard Haass.The intrigue: Dialog has no public-facing website and avoids media coverage — it has never publicly shared a list of participantsThe off-the-record events, typically limited to 100 guests, have been held at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain in Arizona and the San Clemente Palace Venice, among other exclusive and secluded sites.Past participants tell Axios the retreats feature small, moderated conversations with assigned seats and absolute confidentiality, "to ensure participants can challenge themselves intellectually and spiritually," as our source put it.A given session could have the likes of Reid Hoffman, Ted Cruz, Jared Polis, Lori Gottlieb, and Eric Schmidt discussing AI's energy demands, the future of health care, and political realignments.Other topics have included caring for aging parents, love, mental health and the afterlife.The bottom line: "In polarizing times with rapid change taking hold, Dialog is all about seeking truth — even while disagreeing," our source said.

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