The Dialog Club, the private network founded by Peter Thiel and data broker Auren Hoffman, has come under scrutiny after a leak of internal documents revealing its member ranking system. According to files obtained by WIRED, the club assigns each participant a grade from A to C, based on wealth, fame, and perceived value, influencing access, seating, and even event costs. The system, powered by an AI algorithm, was designed to optimize networking but has raised concerns about privacy and discrimination.
The dossiers cover nearly 200 people scheduled for the annual summer retreat, with personal data such as home addresses, phone numbers, emails, dates of birth, photos, emergency contacts, food allergies, and political leanings. Most receive a B grade, while only one in seven gets a C, reserved for the most influential. Actors like Josh Brolin are rated for global fame, while economists like Tyler Cowen are initially penalized by the algorithm, then manually corrected.
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The club has over 1,000 paying members and organizes off-the-record retreats discussing AI, geopolitics, and modern warfare. The grading system determines not only entry fees (up to tens of thousands of dollars) but also the risk of being disinvited if the value added drops. An internal matchmaking system pairs members for networking or dating, with a list of forbidden pairs to avoid conflicts.
The leak comes amid growing scrutiny of tech elites. Events like the Meta revolt and Thiel's secret society signal a complex landscape for Europe and SMEs, as explored in our related article. Furthermore, privacy implications highlight how data is used by private organizations.
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Dialog claims to be nonpartisan, but data shows an overrepresentation of right-leaning members among top grades. Transparency is minimal: the club has not disclosed grading criteria, drawing criticism from ethics experts. As technology advances, cases like this raise fundamental questions about who controls information and how people are classified.
For further reading, check the no-code and low-code guide for SMEs, offering insights on how small businesses can compete in an ecosystem dominated by tech giants.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/how-peter-thiels-private-dialog-club-secretly-ranks-its-members
