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Here's the who's who of business moguls descending on Sun Valley in rural Idaho for a weeklong summer camp for billionaires

Open AI CEO Sam Altman and Disney CEO Bob Iger are at Allen & Co.'s Sun Valley Conference. Elon Musk and Warren Buffett will not be in attendance.

A golf cart riding toward Sun Valley Lodge
The annual Sun Valley conference is attended every year by business leaders across the globe.
  • The Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference draws the ultrawealthy to Idaho for a weeklong retreat.
  • The event allows business leaders to connect — and potentially strike some deals.
  • Attendees include Open AI CEO Sam Altman,  media heir Shari Redstone, and Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Investment firm Allen & Co.'s Sun Valley Conference is again drawing in the world's ultra-wealthy for a weeklong retreat in the idyllic Idaho wilderness from July 9 to July 13.

Often called the summer camp for billionaires, the conference has been held since the 1980s and provides CEOs and business leaders a chance to connect over outdoor activities and presentations on national security and geopolitics.

Sometimes, these leaders connect and create billion-dollar deals — like Disney's acquisition of ABC or Jeff Bezos' purchase of the Washington Post.

Although many well-known names have already made their way to the Sun Valley Lodge, some notable power players like Warren Buffett and Elon Musk will not be in attendance, Variety reported.

Here's who's already shown up.

Media heir Shari Redstone, who recently reached a deal for a Paramount-Skydance merger, was one of the first to arrive on Tuesday.
Susan in a red blazer pointing at a camera
Shari Redstone

Redstone, who owned a majority stake in Paramount, agreed to sell her controlling shares to allow a merger between the flailing media company and Skydance.

"We're gonna save the world together!" Redstone said to reporters on Tuesday as she arrived, per Bloomberg's Michelle Davis.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a Sun Valley regular, rolled up in a golf cart.
Sam Altman
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

Altman has had a whirlwind couple of months at OpenAI, including some high-profile exits of two top AI safety researchers and a hacking scandal.

Disney CEO Bob Iger, who recently won his proxy war against activist investor Nelson Peltz, was also in attendance.
Bob Iger
Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, arrives for the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference at the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Peltz, the 81-year-old billionaire and former Disney investor critical of Iger's leadership, waged a $70 million campaign to place himself on Disney's board. Peltz failed and sold off his shares.

Apple CEO Tim Cook flashed a peace sign when he arrived for the conference.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.

Tim Cook, who succeeded Apple's founder Steve Jobs as CEO in 2011, said last year that he hopes his successor will "come from within Apple."

Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg is attending the conference with her husband Tom Bernthal
Sheryl Sandberg (right) and her husband, Tom Bernthal. Bernthal was a former NBC News producer.
Sheryl Sandberg (right) and her husband, Tom Bernthal. Bernthal was a former NBC News producer.

Sheryl Sandberg stepped down as Meta's COO in June 2022 and left the social media giant's board in January 2024.

The Harvard alumna tied the knot with former NBC News producer Tom Bernthal in August 2022, seven years after the death of her husband Dave Goldberg.

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who once dated Sandberg, was also in attendance
Bobby Kotick (center) stepped down as Activision Blizzard's CEO in December 2023.
Bobby Kotick (center) stepped down as Activision Blizzard's CEO in December 2023.

Bobby Kotick left Activision Blizzard in December 2023, following Microsoft's acquisition of the company in October 2023. The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Kotick was thinking of buying TikTok.

In April, President Joe Biden signed a bill that would ban TikTok unless the social media platform's parent company, ByteDance, sold it.

Michael Eisner, former Disney CEO, was also in attendance.
Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner

Eisner served as CEO between 1984 and 2005 before Iger stepped in and took over.

David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, chatted with the press before entering the lodge.
David Zaslav in a brown corduroy jacket
David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, speaks to reporters as he arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Zaslav was also photographed chatting with Rob Manfred, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, outside the lodge.

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, walks past the press after her arrival Tuesday.
Mary Barra
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors

The GM CEO recently announced that the company would abandon its plan to be 100% electric and focus on hybrid vehicles.

Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group, spoke to reporters while clutching bike handles.
Barry Diller in a white hat and shirt riding a mountain bike
Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group, arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference.

Diller, a known Democratic donor, recently joined many business leaders dismayed by President Joe Biden's debate performance. He's expressed that he would no longer support Biden's candidacy for president.

Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, steps out of an SUV during his arrival Tuesday.
Alex Karp in a white jersey walking out of an SUV
Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies

The Palantir CEO recently made controversial remarks about Pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia, saying that they should be sent to North Korea.

Billionaire and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was spotted arriving on Tuesday as well
Robert Kraft had been spotted at past conferences as well.
Robert Kraft had been spotted at past conferences as well.

Robert Kraft, a frequent attendee, was seen in past conferences in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

The Columbia University alum and megadonor pulled his support for the Ivy League school after it became a hotbed of unrest and protests over Israel's war in Gaza.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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