We've all heard of Peter Thiel's "secret society" by now, and WIRED just dropped a new investigation that claims Dialog, the invite-only "secret society" co-founded by Thiel, secretly ranks its members using an internal scoring system based on factors such as wealth, influence, fame, and perceived value to the group.

According to leaked records, members and prospective attendees receive letter grades (A, B, or C), with the highest-ranking participants often being some of the most influential people in politics, technology, finance, media, and government. The organization also assigns "value-add" scores that help determine who gets invited, who sits with whom, who moderates discussions, and in some cases whether someone remains part of the network.

The documents suggest Dialog tracks personal information, professional connections, political leanings, and relationship networks to help curate interactions, almost like surveillance of the wealthy. The group also uses algorithms and staff evaluations to recommend introductions, arrange seating, and optimize networking opportunities among attendees.

Wildly, some members can reportedly be downgraded or removed for reasons such as "poor culture fit," declining influence, or insufficient value to the community (shows you how these people see the world). The leaked records also reveal that membership status and rankings may affect event pricing, with some attendees paying significantly different fees for the same gatherings.

What this looks like to me is a private network where some of the world's most powerful people are quietly ranking one another, building relationships, and shaping influence outside public view - the very thing many of us have been saying is a huge part of what decides the direction of the world.

I'll ask those who have denied this stuff for a long time, if influence increasingly flows through powerful, invisible, private networks rather than public institutions, how much of society's future is being shaped in rooms most people will never enter or hear about what happens in?

Consider AI for one second, we realize how powerful that tech is and how it's going to reshape the entire world soon. A handful of people are not only building out where AI goes but ultimately deciding what it builds. Power is indeed concentrated in the wealthy. Democracy is an illusion to keep the public pacified.

One step further, we're literally seeing a network influencing the world that has a worldview of 'ranking people' by values based entirely on non-intrinsic qualities. Funny enough, this is exactly why these powerful people don't value the average person, love, nature, water, a tree, animals etc. Their worldview is foundationally a story of separation rather than love or interconnection, and yet they are deciding where the world goes.

By Joe Martino, CE founder