Multiple Penn affiliates were identified in records associated with Dialog, a private organization co-founded by billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
The documents surfaced after internal directories for Dialog’s 2026 retreat were left publicly accessible online. Since its founding in 2006, the organization has hosted invitation-only gatherings of political leaders, technology executives, investors, and academics.
Among those named were Wharton School professor Adam Grant, 1992 School of Arts & Sciences Ph.D. graduate Jonathan Haidt, 1993 Wharton MBA graduate Pete Briger, and 1997 College and Wharton graduate Elon Musk.
In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Grant wrote that he had attended a Dialog gathering.
“Peter Thiel cofounded the event back in 2006, but hasn’t been involved for a long time,” Grant wrote. “I went for the first time in spring 2014 and never interacted with him there.”
Grant added that the only time he met Thiel was later that year, when he hosted the entrepreneur at an Authors@Wharton event following the publication of Thiel’s novel, “Zero to One.”
“I hope it goes without saying that it was before he got involved in politics, and I had no idea where he was heading,” Grant wrote.
Thiel went on to back 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, later serving on Trump’s transition team.
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Grant told the DP that he was “never a member” of Dialog, has not attended its events in years, and has not registered for current or future retreats.
He also disputed the idea of Dialog being characterized as a “secret society.”
“It was one of many conferences at which people with diverging views and backgrounds discussed and debated a wide range of ideas off the record,” Grant wrote.
Briger declined a request to comment. A request for comment was left with Haidt.
According to WIRED, Dialog has held invitation-only retreats for nearly two decades, bringing together leaders from government, business, technology, and academia for moderated, off-the-record discussions. In past gatherings, attendees have discussed topics ranging from artificial intelligence and geopolitics, to entrepreneurship and public policy.
Grant wrote that Dialog's “distinctive features were dividing people into small groups and putting a premium on being contrarian.”
He also pointed to public statements by billionaire investor John Arnold and journalist Kara Swisher, who similarly argued that invitation-only conferences bringing together influential figures are not uncommon in the tech industry.
According to a social media post by Arnold, who was also listed as a member of Dialog, “it’s a conference that Thiel helped start that invited a range of people to discuss range of topics in conference rooms for 3 days. That’s it.”
Swisher — who spoke with Grant during a 2024 Authors@Wharton event — wrote online that “these kind of exclusive events are common, thrown by tech dudes cosplaying serious thinkers.” She added that tech leaders such as Jeff Bezos, Eric Schmidt, and Marc Andreessen have hosted similar gatherings.
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Senior reporter Ananya Karthik covers central administration and can be reached at karthik@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies communication and economics. Follow her on X @ananyaakarthik.
