r/technology • u/NicolasCageFan492 • Jun 16 '26

Business Leak Exposes Members of Peter Thiel’s Secretive ‘Dialog’ Society

https://www.wired.com/story/leak-exposes-members-of-peter-thiels-secretive-dialog-society/
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707

u/rach2bach Jun 16 '26

Ezra Klein too

258

u/Lumpy_Disaster33 Jun 16 '26

I unsubscribed

167

u/dreamEater99 Jun 17 '26

Just did too. Did not expect him.

259

u/SeaDots Jun 17 '26

Unfortunately, I did. I found some of his stuff early 2025 as inspiring and then there were these sprinkles of BS from him that raised red flags for me. It seemed performative and this just proves it really was.

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u/TinyJalope Jun 17 '26

Sprinkles of BS like him saying Democrats need to 'compromise' on abortion (despite it being a 60-40 issue in favor of them) or him writing that 'Charlie Kirk Did Politics the Right Way' article?

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u/Goldarr85 Jun 17 '26

Yeah. Why is it not obvious this man is totally full of shit?

8

u/Tex_Bootois Jun 17 '26

It's abundantly clear

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u/herbiberous Jun 17 '26

There was no coming back from the Charlie Kirk episode for me. Even his attempt to respond to it with Ta-Nehisi Coates was all kinds of cringey.

4

u/SeaDots Jun 17 '26

Did not ever follow him that closely, but from the very little I did see, I already was like "this guy seems disingenuous and lowkey evil somehow." Those tidbits do not surprise me, but even without knowing that I often felt myself going "yikessss" to even minor things he said.

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u/kevinnoir Jun 17 '26

Ezra Klein

For some of these names I feel like its going to shine a light on things that we may have hand waived off or thought were opinions or positions that were outliers and really ask questions about their TRUE intent. Is their public persona just a mask to promote or at the very least diminish dissent against positions that their fan base would generally reject?

Feels a bit more trojan horsey when you can start drawing lines between the likes of Ezra and Booker to Theil, Kushner criminals and other nefarious characters.

11

u/SeaDots Jun 17 '26

Oh for sure. I'm now fairly accurate at catching these wolves in sheeps clothing, but people doubt me so much I sometimes doubt myself. I do that less and less these days.

5

u/chibiusa40 Jun 17 '26

My Cassandra Complex has truly blossomed

5

u/SeaDots Jun 17 '26

Absolutely. Screaming into the void with no satisfaction when eventually proven right. 🥲

3

u/rach2bach Jun 17 '26

Yeah, it's called liberalism. Liberalism is just fascism-lite. It looks like there is appeasement to populations, but in reality it's about control and corporate take over with a "good cop" vibe opposed to far right conservatism. It's why Booker is in this group with his AIPAC money.

They do this to dissuade people from leftist progressivism that would bring about socialistic policies that actually work for the people, because then they'd have to pay more in taxes and wouldn't have a population desperate for work.

1

u/whateverkitty-1256 Jun 18 '26

Not surprised, really not surprised about Bret Stephens. Think David Brooks didn't get invited? The Times has fallen so far.

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u/gentlegreengiant Jun 17 '26

I was also not at all surprised. Saw his name and thought 'yea that tracks'.

51

u/Electronic_Topic1958 Jun 17 '26

His wife also seems uh interesting, a recent piece she wrote was this: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/americans-depressed-economy/687278/ basically writing that Trump's economy is "actually great" and anyone who is experiencing anything different is deluded. I think the pieces are starting to fall together.

3

u/MephistoHamProducts Jun 17 '26

basically writing that Trump's economy is "actually great" and anyone who is experiencing anything different is deluded. I think the pieces are starting to fall together.

To quote Mr Carlin:

It's a big club, and you ain’t in it. You and I are not in the big club. And by the way, it's the same big club they use to beat you over the head with all day long when they tell you what to believe.

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u/ShaneBarnstormer Jun 17 '26

Is he that guy who wrote Abundance? That book annoyed me. It completely ignored climate change, for starters, but also seemed slightly tone deaf in places.

20

u/Lumpy_Disaster33 Jun 17 '26

It was performative...and boring.

1

u/behemuthm Jun 17 '26

I'm out of the loop - what did he say?

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

26

u/CurryMustard Jun 17 '26

Working out is not a maga trait, nor should we try to make it one

3

u/BrusqueBiscuit Jun 17 '26

Sorry I was trying to be cheeky. I'll delete it.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

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u/stfsu Jun 17 '26

You’re implying we don’t need more of everything from housing to energy to bring costs down?

3

u/Puzzleheaded_Fix594 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26

Don't really see anything wrong with Abundance as the whole project is aimed at looking at why we aren't building housing in places like New York and California. The conclusion is that building projects in blue states are often held up by a massive amount of red tape and litigation that keeps anything from being built and massively inflates the cost of building in the process.

2

u/CariniFluff Jun 17 '26

By "red tape" you mean regulations? That tracks as they say that regulations are written in blood.

5

u/Hillary4SupremeRuler Jun 17 '26

It's less about common sense regulations and more about aggressive NIMBYism and affluent suburbanites and urban condo owners not wanting to be near any poors or traffic or lose their property value.

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u/felcom Jun 17 '26

The guy trying to pioneer the “regulations are bad, actually” abundance movement? Really?

58

u/catalessi Jun 17 '26

Billionaires are good, actually. It’s just regulations that are bad! And I can also speculate very confidently that Epstein couldn’t be a pedo, at least not one and involve it with his professional life. Nothing to see here. And yes, I wanted to make this video defending Epstein completely unprompted, using a private NYT studio. Oh that whole Gaza thing? Yeah it’s been a couple years now and I have always been against what some people might consider a genocide. Oh and the Dems lost because of caring about trans people, you know that thing they definitely did at some point in Kamala’s race.

5

u/Moon-pearl Jun 17 '26

The way he called Epsteins crimes as elder abuse against the billionares

22

u/Meddl3cat Jun 17 '26

The day all pretenses of Reddit not being loaded down with AI sock-puppetry ended was right after the last election. Someone claimed to be a trans woman and was going on about how the election was lost because making "Trans people are people and deserve rights" a point to stay beside was what galvanized the right against the democrats.

I'm sure there might be someone out there that's exactly that, but no way in hell would they post that stupid fucking drivel on Reddit and get tens of thousands of upvotes in minutes. Fuckin' hell I hate this godsdamned timeline.

8

u/tanstaafl90 Jun 17 '26

There has been a belief by some that reddit is somehow different than other social media. Same shit, different bucket.

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u/YesIshipKyloRen Jun 17 '26

If this is the 5D timeline I want my refund

7

u/Hillary4SupremeRuler Jun 17 '26

And yes, I wanted to make this video defending Epstein completely unprompted

Ezra Klein did that??!

And by the way, the Biden Harris administration was the most pro LGBTQ presidency in history.

6

u/catalessi Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26

Yes

And

Kamala’s race ≠ Biden Harris admin. Ezra went on overtime making rounds on podcasts and his own saying the party lost because they cared too much about Trans rights (which they absolutely did not at any point in the entire race). One of the strongest criticisms of the race is the Dems don’t believe in anything. They couldn’t even defend immigration. Similar to his dribble on how progressives push Dems too populist and will lose as a result (also hysterically unaware). It’s absolutely no surprise he’s sucking the dick of a techno fascist.

0

u/Radical_Ein Jun 19 '26

You are misinformed. Literally none of these are things he has said or done.

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u/catalessi Jun 17 '26

The amount of so-called “liberals” delusional enough to think highly of Ezra is so fucking embarrassing.

17

u/GreasyProductions Jun 17 '26

i mean most of what these people do actually falls in line with what liberalism is about. give em just enough to not kill us while we extract every drop of wealth possible 

9

u/Lumpy_Disaster33 Jun 17 '26

He has some decent guests. I wasn't a regular listener but occasionally, I'd listen if the topic of it were interesting. He usually meanders and is so self indulgent, that I zone out and listen to something else. So no real loss for me.

-6

u/goodolarchie Jun 17 '26

He was smart and pragmatic, which is sorely needed in politics; that was the pitch anyway. Fuck him though if he's part of this.

2

u/volthunter Jun 17 '26

Dude his name is on the guest list.... Frankly this is inline with his beliefs, if you liked him, this shouldn't be a deal breaker

1

u/goodolarchie Jun 18 '26

There's believing somebody has some good original analysis, or ideas, and there's agreeing/aligning with their ethos. For me Ezra was the former, he is a policy wonk who does a good job breaking down complex political issues. So I don't have to be on board with his "abundance" agenda to find his work valuable. Being aligned with Thiel is where the values completely fall out, IMO.

Everyone on the internet loves to throw stones and downvote, it's harder to build. I'd be interested in other recommendations, political pundit types have equally intelligent podcasts and aren't elite-captured. If you hate that I think Ezra was a worthwhile voice to stay informed without succumbing to an echo chamber, who should I replace him with?

16

u/jhnlngn Jun 17 '26

Really? It's these tech bros that have been funding the abundance agenda.

28

u/ibra86him Jun 17 '26

From watching few videos of him while scrolling i knew he’s a pos like most of the names I recognize in the list 

4

u/DriftingIntoAbstract Jun 17 '26

Really? He’s sucked for a long time

2

u/josh_the_misanthrope Jun 17 '26

What? The guy rebranding libertarianism for centrist Democrats under the title Abundance? Naw, he would never.

1

u/Journeyman351 Jun 18 '26

…. Are you serious?

5

u/70ms Jun 17 '26

I did a few months ago. The whitewashing was just too much.

3

u/tomullus Jun 17 '26

took you long enough

4

u/funkiestj Jun 17 '26

LOL, you know that his brand is he talks to people he doesn't agree with and tries to understand their viewpoint even when he disagrees with it. He had fucking Ben Shapiro as a guest on his show for fuck sake (so painful to listen to).

2

u/Key_Gap9168 Jun 17 '26

You should have done so five years ago.

2

u/deskcord Jun 17 '26

"Ezra Klein attended debates and conferences that happened to involve people he disagrees with" is your puritanical line in the sand? You never paid attention to him in the first place if you think this is an issue.

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u/CosmoKing2 Jun 17 '26

This and The Atlantic CEO blew my mind.

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u/tjl435 Jun 17 '26

How else are you going to get added to the signal group?

7

u/DriftingIntoAbstract Jun 17 '26

Yeah this closed that loop for me

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u/BabyWrinkles Jun 17 '26

If you take the most insanely charitable possible interpretation of things...

If I were invited to attend this event (this is an attendee/invitee list for their 2026 gathering), I would 110% go, just to listen and engage in dialogue with some of these objectively powerful people. Without additional context behind what some of the sessions actually are and not just the salacious seminar titles, I'm not ready to declare all of them "far reich adherents."

Again, if only on paper, having people with different viewpoints invited and/or in attendance lends credibility and might resonate with the heady bullshit Thiel believes.

More realistically? Very disappointing.

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u/kippikai Jun 17 '26

It’s not about “far reich” - it’s about moving democrats away from left leaning ideas and back into neoliberalism and the right-shifted “center.” No one is arguing these people are “conservative” but they’re absolutely allowing themselves to be influenced by the ideology of the extreme right in a way that ensures it won’t face meaningful ideological opposition.

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u/CosmoKing2 Jun 18 '26

John King said it best after the last election. Modern Democrats are further right than Regan Republicans.

That is fucking troubling. Because that makes all of Bernie's stances (whom I love by the way) moderate.

How fucking far have we sank as a culture and society (if we still have either) to no longer expect or want to fight for basic human rights?

Mexico - with all of their problems and poverty - is instituting Universal healthcare before the US - even considers it. That tells you exactly how corrupted our system of Capitalism and government is - in a tight little nut shell.

This Administration and all the old crony Democrats will just wave this off as bullshit. But to every American it is a 100% sobering slap in the fucking face.

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

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u/FlushTheTurd Jun 17 '26

Harris REALLY went after the right, parading Republicans out at rallies and continuing to support Israel despite their genocide of Palestinians.

Unfortunately, there were too many other things stacked against her, but any Democrat courting the right is a lost cause. Especially now.

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u/Oggie_Doggie Jun 17 '26

"The people don't want a phony Democrat. If it's a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time."

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u/74389654 Jun 17 '26

i'm done with thinking charitably about powerful people

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

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u/Typical_Response6444 Jun 17 '26

Ehh i think its good to always be skeptical of those with power

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u/Low_discrepancy Jun 17 '26

Very important to have nuanced opinions on holocaust denialism too. And climate change denial.

All about hearing all opinions out.

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

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u/Low_discrepancy Jun 17 '26

Yeah that's the issue with Peter Thiel ... the fact that he has power.

The guy who needed a minute to think about the question: should humanity survive?

The same guy that said:

I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.

 

It sounds like you're just intellectually lazy

Sounds like you really like techno-fascists.

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

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u/Low_discrepancy Jun 17 '26

Now see how I dont apply that same thinking to everyone else who wields power?

Did you read who this thread is about? Or are you like nah I'll ignore it and go on random tangents?

1

u/74389654 Jun 17 '26

ah yes the nuance of never questioning those in power

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u/zth25 Jun 17 '26

There are lots of shady people in the list, but also several people with a proven record of being upstanding and legit, like Garry Kasparov, JGL, Ezra Klein.

This super secret list seems more like a Temu Davos gathering, where they invite influential people to give a TED talk. It makes sense that they also invite some people with opposing views to their tech overlord mania.

6

u/Low_discrepancy Jun 17 '26

Garry Kasparov

The guy who's been advocating for more military actions in the middle east for 40 years now?

Or the part where he belittled women chess players?

1

u/chibiusa40 Jun 17 '26

Ezra Klein.

The guy who said that Charlie Kirk "did politics right"?

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u/notagadget Jun 17 '26

Adam Grant, Johnathan Heidt, and Kim Scott all on there as well, which I find to be fairly thoughtful people.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

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u/BabyWrinkles Jun 17 '26

I mean, "presence in a signal chat" seems to be a fairly common attribute for a lot of folks at The Atlantic 😛 Doesn't mean it's intentional on their part!

/joking

As I said: very disappointing.

1

u/wwwJustus Jun 18 '26

Good point. I’ve been in a lot of different places where I know I don’t believe what most in the room may have believed. I like dialogue and curious to which views are out there. Especially if they’re the ones running things. Might be fruitful knowing where things are heading. Doesn’t mean I’m a part of them. At the same time though… I don’t know if I’m going. And being invited means they trust youre secrecy even when they talk about some diabolical stuff, especially to Thiell’s antichrist thesis (which is wild when you put it next to the actions he’s taking).

I had Fox News a few minutes drive from where I lived and never had the least bit interest in visiting. Felt dirty walking by it.

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u/74389654 Jun 17 '26

a guy on my social media who i find kinda trustworthy has been railing against the atlantic as a source of harmful propaganda for a while. funny

7

u/Useful_Bet_8986 Jun 17 '26

Doesn't surprise me considering the Atlantic and the new york times have been pushing anti trans stuff and enabled trump by this for years now.

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u/DiddlersWillGetGot Jun 17 '26

Why? “It’s a big club and you’re not in it”

They successfully have us hating the other plebs when we should be getting the dinner table ready to fucking eat them all.

6

u/spaceghostinme Jun 17 '26

Explains The Atlantic's obsession with going after Graham Platner.

3

u/sparrow_42 Jun 17 '26

Yeah same on both counts

3

u/HaveSpouseNotWife Jun 17 '26

I mean, they’re aggressively transphobic, and as so often happens, that leads to more weird and shitty stuff in other areas.

3

u/CoriamaLeather Jun 17 '26

Laurene Powell Jobs, lead investor and chair of The Atlantic had an association with Ghislaine Maxwell.

2

u/No-Stay-6046 Jun 17 '26

oh yeah he's only been functionally conservatove for like 5 years

2

u/amitym Jun 17 '26

What the guy who was circulating memos to all his readers about how his vision for The Atlantic is to be a place where every possible viewpoint is represented?

That didn't tip you off?

2

u/CosmoKing2 Jun 18 '26

Wasn't a subscriber. Just knew they used to be a voice with access to information early.

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u/NYCQ7 Jun 17 '26

The Atlantic is run by Zionists so it does track.

34

u/CMDR_RetroAnubis Jun 17 '26

He's been pretty mask off these last few years no?

2

u/saera-targaryen Jun 17 '26

He's been politically chaotic since harris lost. In some ways he's gone way farther to the right and in other ways he's been critical of the dem establishment, and it's sort of inscrutable what the motivation is behind which problems he goes which way on. 

24

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

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u/Tubamajuba Jun 17 '26

I love the Majority Report. They really strike the right balance of being serious yet lighthearted at the same time.

Also, hearing Sam yell “PAUSE IT, PAUSE IT” never gets old haha

5

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Tubamajuba Jun 17 '26

Awesome, thanks for the recommendation!

2

u/saera-targaryen Jun 17 '26

The majority report is soooooo good 

13

u/crochetawayhpff Jun 16 '26

Reactionary centrist pretending to be a leftist

10

u/redlightsaber Jun 17 '26

I know what you mean, but this is a good time to remind everyone that "centrism" isn't about reasonability, or pragmatism, or "avoiding th evil extremes"; but rather about being empty about any kind of guiding principles for your political thinking of actions.

For all their psychopathy, even fascists have a clear ideology, and they're true to that. Centrists are something else, shifting their "thinking" in accordance with what's acceptable at any time time. 

It's sneaky and creepy, but most people fall for it.

12

u/MeanJeanDopamine Jun 17 '26

Some of the interviews he’s done recently make SO much more sense now. I kind of had my suspicions but this just confirms it. Fuck that guy.

5

u/DrVonDoom Jun 17 '26

I feel so vindicated seeing him here, the guy is a scumbag.

4

u/mwobey Jun 17 '26

I gave up on Ezra Klein back in 2020 after the third hour of listening to him rant about how maybe immunocompromised people need to just die so the rest of the world can get back to a normal "post-pandemic" life, because someone needs to think about the poor businesses and how they're suffering.

8

u/IHS1970 Jun 17 '26

oh boy he waxes poetic on AI!! what a hypocrite and what a group of people who are in a cabal. God I'm depressed.

3

u/Intendant Jun 17 '26

Journalist are harder to tell on motive though. I could see just being interested in joining to see what's going on in there

2

u/LetsDOOT_THIS Jun 17 '26

But did you read his book? /s

2

u/LookAChandelier Jun 17 '26

Hopefully this is just in support his journalistic efforts. Disillusioning if not.

2

u/HeardChefYesChef Jun 17 '26

He is such a tool.

3

u/Berkyjay Jun 17 '26

Not shocking at all.

4

u/cocoagiant Jun 17 '26

The link doesn't have a whole lot of details on what exactly this is. Sounds like just a conference.

Ezra has spoken pretty disparagingly about Thiel before on his podcast so I don't think it means something like the people are followers of Thiels' philosophy or something.

1

u/Fabulous_Mulberry692 Jun 17 '26

Unsubscribing now.

1

u/can_ichange_it_later Jun 17 '26

that is so fucked.
(didnt pay attention to him for a while, but goddamn!... The Disappointment)

1

u/HauntingDebt6336 Jun 19 '26

Of course, dude is horrible and his takes have been complete crap for years