[W]hile tech leaders were speaking in shimmering platitudes during panel sessions, they were undoubtedly saving their real feelings — and dealmaking — for off the stage. So I camped out a block away from the summit at the Waldorf Astoria bar, where billionaires, founders, and Trump‑world power brokers gathered to toast the country’s AI future (and figure out how to profit from it).

Boy, was I right.