Sun Valley Conference 2021: Billionaire Summer Camp Explained and Who Is Attending

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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Some of the biggest names in technology, media and finance have gathered this week in Sun Valley, Idaho, for the latest edition of the annual conference hosted by Allen & Company, a private investment bank. The event has been dubbed the "summer camp for billionaires" due to its guest list.

The private conference, which marks its 38th year, was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates are reportedly among those who have been spotted at this year's event, which began Tuesday and concludes on July 10.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was also seen at the conference in a video posted by a senior correspondent for Fox Business Network, Charles Gasparino.

Mark Zuckerberg at Sun Valley.
CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg walks with COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 8 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

"Love is in the air! Cc ⁦@JeffBezos⁩ and Lauren Sanchez are back in #SunValley more now on ⁦@FoxBusiness⁩ ⁦@LizClaman," Gasparino tweeted.

Love is in the air! Cc ⁦@JeffBezos⁩ and Lauren Sanchez are back in #SunValley more now on ⁦@FoxBusiness⁩ ⁦@LizClaman⁩ pic.twitter.com/u9fXN7vD0t

— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) July 8, 2021

What Is the Sun Valley Conference?

The annual event is described to be a mixer for major tech and media moguls, according to a reporter for NPR's All Things Considered program, David Gura, who is at the event.

The invite-only conference gives executives a chance to meet, mingle and discuss deals in private, with all discussions and proceedings off the record. While the topics to be discussed at the conference are not disclosed to the public, some guesses for what might be on the table can be made based on the guest list, Gura says.

Tim Cook at Sun Valley event.
Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the Allen & Company Sun Valley conference on July 8 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Through the years, several major mergers, acquisitions and other deals have reportedly been made following discussions at the Sun Valley conference, such as Bezos' purchase of The Washington Post as well as Disney's acquisition of ABC, Insider reported.

Bloomberg reported Comcast Corporation's takeover of NBCUniversal and Verizon Communications Inc.'s acquisition of AOL were also said to have been facilitated at the conference.

Bill Gates at Sun Valley event.
President and CEO of Chubb Limited Evan Greenberg (left) and co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates walk together at the Allen & Company Sun Valley conference on July 8 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Who Is Attending?

Several major company heads, media executives and other public figures have been pictured at the conference, according to images from Getty and other reports, including the following:

  • Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
  • Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
  • Apple CEO Tim Cook
  • Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates
  • Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings
  • ViacomCBS chair Shari Redstone
  • Disney chairman Michael Iger
  • Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
  • GM CEO Mary Barra
  • WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar
  • Discovery CEO David Zaslav
  • CNN anchor Anderson Cooper
  • Film and television producer Brian Grazer
  • Fashion designer and Alice + Olivia CEO Stacey Bendet

According to Gura, several executives who have invested in cryptocurrencies were reported to be at the event, as well as those heading up companies focused on artificial intelligence.

The high-profile event saw an influx of private jets arriving at Friedman Memorial Airport near Sun Valley. Insider reported the busy private jet traffic on Tuesday saw the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ban other planes from the country's West Coast to as far as Michigan and Canada from departing.

Private jets at airport near Sun Valley.
Private jets park alongside grazing cows at the Friedman Memorial Airport ahead of the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 5 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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About the writer

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more