Tech

Tech and media moguls swarm Sun Valley, Idaho, for annual 'summer camp for billionaires' 

Key Points
  • Allen and Co. is kicking off it's annual mogul-fest in Sun Valley, Idaho this week. 
  • The guest list includes business titans like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Disney CEO Bob Iger.  
  • The invite-only conference has been the genesis for blockbuster deals like Verizon's acquisition of Yahoo and Disney's merger with ABC. 
Signage stands at the entrance of the Sun Valley Lodge in Sun Valley, Idaho. 
Drew Angerer / Getty Images 

"Allen & Co's invite-only annual conference kicks off this week, which means that some of the biggest names in tech and media are swarming Idaho’s lavish Sun Valley Resort.

In the past, the so-called "summer camp for billionaires" has laid the foundation for mega-deals like Verizon's acquisition of Yahoo, Jeff Bezos' purchase of The Washington Post, and Disney's merger with ABC, which had its roots at the investment bank's 1995 retreat.

Likely hot topics at this year's event include Disney and Comcast's competition to , as well as the fight over a potential CBS and Viacom merger.

Besides hobnobbing with other moguls and attending talks about business and the economy, executives can partake in outdoor activities like golf, cycling, and white-water rafting.

Let's see which business titans showed up this year:

Here's Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch, looking pensive.

He's got a lot on his mind, trying to decide whether to sell his company to Disney or Comcast.

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Unsurprisingly, Comcast's CEO Brian Roberts showed up.

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As did Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at Sun Valley.
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Here's David Zaslav, CEO of Discovery.

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While fleece vests have become the unofficial Sun Valley “uniform," Stacey Bendet Eisner opts for something more colorful.

(She’s the CEO of clothing company Alice + Olivia, after all).

Drew Angerer / Getty images 

Her father-in-law and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner appears to be preparing a tip.

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Sam Altman is a Sun Valley regular.

He leads Y Combinator, a prominent program and investor for early-stage start-ups in Silicon Valley.

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Reporters direct questions to former AOL CEO Steve Case.

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Here's Shari Redstone, the main shareholder of CBS, waving to the crowd.

She's been embroiled in a legal battle with CBS CEO Les Moonves and the board of directors about the future of the company.

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Hello Kaz Hirai, chairman of Sony!

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Omid Kordestani, Twitter's executive chairman and Google's former chief business officer, makes an appearance too.

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YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki rocks her complimentary Sun Valley baseball cap.

She's had an intense year as the video site has dealt with numerous scandals relating to its home-grown stars, fake news, and inappropriate content.

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Her sister, Anne Wojcicki, CEO of genomics company 23andMe, appears to be turning the tables on the "paparazzi."

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Max Levchin, the co-founder of PayPal, wears a shirt repping his financial technology startup Affirm.

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Facebook's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, looks cheery as she strolls about with the CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick.

Earlier this week, the U.K.'s Information Commissioner hit Facebook with a ~$660,000 fine in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica revelations.  

Drew Angerer / Getty Images 

Here's Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify. 

His company started trading on the New York Stock Exchange in early April. 

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To get to the event, many execs take private jets, and charter company XOJET told Businses Insider that it expected 350 to 465 jets this year.

Drew Angerer / Getty Images
Sun Valley showdown over big media mergers
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Sun Valley showdown over big media mergers