You don't have to indulge in any conspiracy theories to find it interesting who got invited to this year's Bilderberg Group meeting underway in Lisbon.  The meetings are secret, with no notes or recordings taken of formal sessions (unlike the WEF), but participants are allowed to talk about what went on so long as they don't attribute views to anyone — the so-called Chatham House rules.

Ben Bartee of PJ Media describes the group:

The group bills itself as "an annual conference designed to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. Every year, between 120–140 political leaders and experts from industry, finance, labour, academia, and the media are invited to take part in the Meeting. About two-thirds of the participants come from Europe and the rest from North America; approximately a quarter from politics and government and the rest from other fields."

It is thus a smaller, less global (Europe and North America only), and more secretive gathering than the WEF.  In its secrecy, it resembles the Bohemian Grove gatherings in California, but far more buttoned down than the rustic setting permits.  There is an overlap among the attendees at the elite gatherings, so there is no point in identifying one or another of them as the locus of some global conspiracy.

Below is a 2018 chart of attendees of that year's meeting done by Frank Zweers, which he titles "The Eye of Evil."  It is hard to make out all the names of corporations, but it does give a sense of the institutional reach of the attendees:

My own view of these elite confabs is that they enable people to make a human connection to others, who may be a useful source of information, influence, or consultation at some point in the future.  They can get a sense of one another, maybe shake hands or share food and drink, and pass along useful thoughts or information.  From then on, they can get each other on the phone, arrange meetings, or otherwise interact with ease and speed.

If they aim at joint mischief, that becomes easier, having met.  But if there are completely legitimate goals they jointly seek, that is possible as well.

Some of the notables attending are listed by the Epoch Times, which has a complete list of participants (paywalled, but available to AT readers without charge):

The array of globally influential figures includes NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, with the dynamics of global security cooperation in sharp focus as the war in Ukraine continues with no end in sight.

Also on the security front, attending the meeting are Avril Haines, U.S. director of National Intelligence, and Thomas Wright, senior director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council.

There's no shortage of political leaders, including Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands, and Finland's outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who lost an election but continues to serve as part of a caretaker government until a new cabinet is formed.

Also attending is Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the creator of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT that has grabbed headlines for its potential to replace humans in jobs. Other prominent tech figures include Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, is also on the list of participants, as is Thiel Capital founder Peter Thiel, and John Waldron, president of Goldman Sachs.

I find serial failed candidate Stacey Abrams, who is at the top of the list because her last name begins with an A and a b, somewhat interesting.  What does she have to contribute other than political insight and influence regarding left-wing, progressive politics?  She is an insider on the machinations of the Democrats to get hold of the electoral process and remain permanently in power by manipulating the electoral machinery and voter rolls.

That is, perhaps, the real "tell" of the group.  These are for the most part heads of powerful organizations who have their own goals, and who can multiply their effectiveness by coordinating covertly.  That is the definition of a conspiracy as well.  One doesn't have to posit a grand conspiracy to rule the world — such plots are too hard to hold together and keep secret.  But petit conspiracies, AKA confidential joint efforts, are enabled and likely to be promoted by such gatherings.

Artificial intelligence is all the rage now, so I am certain that Sam Altman has a particularly large collection of business cards to bring home and will be hearing from attendees regularly from now on.