Dialog’s secret grades decide who belongs at retreats

Dialog secret – Internal records reviewed by MISRYOUM describe how Dialog, a Peter Thiel-linked private club, assigns members and prospective attendees hidden A, B, or C grades—apparently based on wealth, fame, and relationship networks—to determine who should meet whom, wher

On the eve of Dialog’s annual retreat. a private ranking system quietly determines who gets pulled closer—and who does not. The club’s internal data. obtained by a confidential source. includes detailed personal records on nearly 200 prominent people scheduled to attend this summer. ranging from home addresses and private phone numbers to email accounts. dates of birth. photos. emergency contacts. food allergies. and political leanings volunteered by some members.

The files lay out something more than logistics. They describe how Dialog grades attendees on a hidden scale—ranking them by wealth and fame, tracking their relationships, and using algorithms to decide who they should meet, who they should sit with, and who no longer belongs.

Dialog is not an open organization. Founded in 2006 by Peter Thiel and data broker Auren Hoffman, it is a private club that convenes politicians, investors, entrepreneurs, military leaders, executives, academics, and journalists for invitation-only, off-the-record retreats.

Dialog’s business is built around two tiers: membership and retreats. A Dialog document shared by a past participant says it has “over 1,000 paying members,” and that more than 2,500 people have attended its annual retreats.

Membership, in Dialog’s description, gives members—called “dialogers”—access to private dinners “hosted in members’ homes and private spaces around the world,” as well as “member-led global treks,” concierge services, and a private group chat.

Retreats are larger gatherings. They convene groups of 200 or more people—who are not necessarily members—for three- to four-day meetings. This August. members. speakers. and guests are scheduled to gather outside Dublin. Ireland. for two days of discussions on artificial intelligence. geopolitics. and modern warfare. ranging from “NATO’s future and battlefield tech” to the war in Iran. Those sessions are led by current and former lawmakers, diplomats, and national security officials.

The ranking system appears to start before anyone joins. Dialog assigns people grades before they join. Of 192 dossiers examined, 130 are tagged as members. The rest are prospects, with file markings that include “First Time Dialoger” or “Warm.”

Everyone—members and prospective invitees alike—is assigned a grade of A, B, or C. The “C” grade appears reserved for the most famous and influential; only one in seven received it. Most people—141 of 192—received a “B.” The final tier. “A. ” appears primarily assigned to older. established members whom the graders consider less notable.

Some notes read like popularity rollups. Actor Josh Brolin is categorized as a VIP largely based on the strength of his fame. even though the records say he has never attended a Dialog retreat. One note says: “His portrayal of Thanos in the Avengers series and his involvement in high-grossing films like Avengers: Endgame. which grossed over $2.79 billion. contribute to his prominence.” Staff further cite his Instagram following of over 3.4 million.

The internal system also shows how quickly a label can be overridden. Economist Tyler Cowen was initially denied a VIP “C” rating after Dialog’s AI tool described him as “widely recognized within his field. ” but not a leader of “an organization that is a household name to the average person.” Dialog staff overruled the AI tool. which was used to assemble dossiers on at least 26 people included on the group’s list.

Dialog’s private files are separate from a different exposure that began earlier this week. A list of people affiliated with Dialog that was left on the organization’s website and has been circulating online appears to be a looser directory. including nonmembers such as Maryland governor Wes Moore. a former event speaker. and other outside guests who passed through Dialog’s orbit in some cases years ago.

The human fallout is immediate, even when the club insists on discretion. Brolin did not respond to a request for comment. One of his representatives told The Hollywood Reporter that he wants “to know what the fuck he got himself into.” Cowen did not respond to a request for comment.

A former editor in chief of WIRED, Nick Thompson—currently the CEO of The Atlantic—is among those listed both in the public directory and in the unreleased records. He declined to comment.

Behind the invitation-only framing, the records suggest Dialog isn’t just curating conversations—it’s curating status. The club’s grades. its relationship tracking. and its algorithmic matching all point toward one quiet promise: the right people meet the right people. and the rest are pushed out before the retreat doors even open.

Dialog club Peter Thiel Auren Hoffman private retreats membership grading AI dossiers wealth and fame ranking data privacy cybersecurity Tyler Cowen Josh Brolin Nick Thompson