Check out the CEOs and ultrawealthy who traveled to Sun Valley in rural Idaho for the 'summer camp for billionaires'

Wed, 07/10/2024 - 10:30

Tim Cook, Bob Iger and John Henry — The annual Sun Valley conference is attended every year by business leaders across the globe.
Justin Sullivan/Getty, Kevork Djansezian/Getty, Tyler Le/BI

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
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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.

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.

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.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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, rolled in.

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.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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.

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.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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
Brendan McDermid/Reuters

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.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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.

Media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg will likely be peppered with questions about the Biden reelection campaign.

Jeffrey Katzenberg arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference — Media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg will surely face questions about Biden's campaign.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former chairman of Disney and cofounder of DreamWorks, serves as the cochair of President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. He will surely face questions about Biden's well-being and performance at the last debate.

Eddy Cue, SVP of services, is also representing Apple at the conference.

Eddy Cue at Sun Valley — Eddy Cue joined Tim Cook in representing Apple at the conference.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Eddy Cue, Apple's SVP of services, is responsible for Apple products from Apple Music to Apple Pay. He joined Tim Cook in representing the company at the conference.

AI will be a hot topic at the conference and a subject that Cue is asked about — specifically, the ways the tech giant is adopting the technology.

Michael Ovitz, a cofounder of CAA, showed up.

Michael Ovitz at Sun Valley — Yet another member of Disney's former top brass, Michael Ovitz, made an appearance.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The short-lived Disney president and cofounder of talent agency CAA, Michael Ovitz, is also in attendance. As another member of Disney's former top brass, he may be asked his opinion on Bob Iger's handling of the company and his succession plan.

Anderson Cooper is one of very few members of the press to garner an invitation.

Anderson Cooper at Sun Valley — CNN's Anderson Cooper is attending this year's conference.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

One of a small number of press to snag an official invite, Anderson Cooper joined Gayle King and Van Jones at the conference.

Gayle King is another journalist to be on the invitation list.

Gayle King at Sun Valley Conference — Gayle King is also a member of the press in attendance.
Kevork Djansezian

Gayle King's best friend — media mogul and billionaire Oprah Winfrey — is a frequent conference attendee.

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