Dialog, a secretive forum, founded by Peter Thiel, plans D.C.-area campus

Dialog — a secretive, invite-only network founded two decades ago by Peter Thiel and Auren Hoffman, the star investors and entrepreneurs — is preparing a major expansion, including a real estate purchase to build a campus in the D.C. suburbs, a tipster familiar with the group's plans tells Axios.

Why it matters: Dialog, often compared to a tech-era Bilderberg, has quietly become one of the most elite, and mysterious, gatherings for CEOs, elected officials, and intellectual heavyweights.

Dialog leaders are in active discussions to buy a physical venue in Virginia, just outside Washington, to serve as a permanent hub for its off-the-record meetings, the tipster says.

The decision to buy land, then build, within commuting distance of the capital shows the group isn't just kissing President Trump's ring, but plans to be engaged in Washington long after this term.