The Bilderberg meeting was formed in 1954 to foster dialogue between the US and Europe to prevent another war, with its current aim purportedly to allow Western leaders to share innovatory ideas. Past participants have included King Charles III, David Cameron, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Peter Mandelson. Attendees at the 2025 meeting included billionaires such as Palantir CEO Alex Karp, Spotify founder Daniel Ek, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, alongside giants of Wall Street like the CEOs of KKR and Lazard and the chief of Pfizer.
The conference also featured discussions on the future of warfare, where Eric Schmidt would have been able to exchange views with four-star admiral Samuel Paparo and defence technology CEO Brian Schimpf; according to Daily Mail - News, Schmidt described future wars as being defined by unmanned weapons, with swarms of drones operated remotely and increasingly automated with AI targeting. This gathering occurred against a backdrop of political and military strain, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived following a 'very frank' conversation with the US President at the White House, with the trans-Atlantic alliance facing a time of immense crisis and uncertainty after Donald Trump repeatedly attacked NATO as a 'paper tiger' and threatened to ditch the 32-country organization over a lack of support for his war against Iran. One item listed on the 2025 Bilderberg agenda was the 'Trans-Atlantic Defence-Industrial Relationship', and in Washington, business titans had the opportunity to swap notes with members of Trump's inner circle, including Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, former trade policy architect Robert Lighthizer, and Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, who is often dubbed the President's 'drone guy' for his embrace of emerging battlefield technologies.
Future wars are going to be defined by unmanned weapons, with swarms of drones operated remotely and increasingly automated with AI targeting.
Ahead of the meeting, a security cordon was put up surrounding the luxury Salamander hotel, but the specific decisions or agreements made, the full list of attendees and their affiliations, and the exact content of discussions on topics like AI remain unknown, as do how these talks might influence policy or corporate actions and the nature and outcome of Rutte's conversation with the President.