Josh Brolin wonders "what the fuck he got himself into" at Peter Thiel's secret retreat

What the fuck he got himself into is this: Dialog holds an annual retreat for people considered influential across politics, media, and tech to have off-the-record conversations about hot-button topics. Other members, according to the docs obtained by THR, include Elon Musk, Ted Cruz, Jared Kushner, Cory Booker, and Wes Moore. Discussion topics have included things like “Bring Back Nuclear,” “Disinformation & Deepfakes,” “Battlefield Technologies,” “Democracy Under Surveillance,” “Build-a-Party,” “Money (Does?) Buy Happiness,” “How’s Your Sex Life,” “It’s Fun to be in Charge,” and “Build-a-Cult.” 

The leak also reveals a bit about how members apply to be part of the group. They’re asked to disclose their political leaning (far-right, right, left, far left) and applicants are assigned a letter grade that is purported to reflect their influence and qualifications, among other things. For example, Hsiao was given an A, with a reviewer noting her as an “accomplished television writer and producer” whose work “showcas[es] stories that might not have been told previously.” In her application, Hsiao wrote that she wanted to connect with other people in her industry. 

Brolin, meanwhile, was nominated for membership by former Uber CEO Ryan Graves and didn’t give a reason for joining in his application. He wrote: “I grew up on a horse farm, climbed parts of Everest, given academy awards, been nominated, written a book, had former Poet laureates reach out, been friends with the greatest artists of our time and smoked crack under a car at 3 am in San Francisco.” His application was given a C grade.