Bill Gates broke cover at the annual ‘billionaires summer camp’ amid fresh headlines about his pedophile former friend Jeffrey Epstein‘s ties to power.
The former Microsoft CEO made his appearance at the Allen and Company Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference – known for bringing some of the most powerful moguls in the world together – on Thursday.
The invite-only event in Sun Valley, Idaho has a reputation for hosting industry-shaking deals, with executives from around the world fighting to join the summit each year.
Among those spotted at the conference this year include Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Despite tying the knot just weeks ago in a headline-grabbing wedding in Italy, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his new wife Lauren Sanchez also made time to attend.
Still glowing from their high-profile Venetian wedding last month, Sanchez, 55, and Bezos, 61, strolled hand-in-hand as they arrived on Thursday.
Bezos kept it simple with blue denim jeans and a dark grey T-shirt, blazer in hand, while Sanchez donned a black scoop-neck tank top and white trousers.
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, walks to lunch at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2025 in Sun Valley
Bill Gates and Paula Hurd attend the event on Thursday, July 10
Bill Gates broke cover at the annual ‘billionaires summer camp’ amid mounting scrutiny on his former friend Jeffrey Epstein ‘s ties to power
The former Microsoft CEO made his appearance at the Allen and Company Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference – known for bringing some of the most powerful moguls in the world together – on Thursday
Sanchez and Bezos also attended the event last year, where they were joined by the likes of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and OpenAI leader Sam Altman.
Private jets typically fly in to the event at Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, around 15 miles from the ritzy resort, and then guests are driven to the estate, set against picturesque mountain views, for high-level talks.
Sources say staff are convinced Bezos, the world’s fourth-richest man, is preparing to buy parent company Conde Nast as a wedding gift for his bride, who is a former journalist.
But, as previously reported by the DailyMail.com, a source close to Bezos said it was ‘totally untrue’ that he was considering buying Conde Nast.
Bill Gates looked more pensive as he arrived with partner Paula Hurd on Thursday.
While many are looking to rub shoulders with fellow leaders, Gates may be hoping for a distraction amid the fallout from President Donald Trump‘s bungled release of the ‘Epstein files.’
Trump had previously pledged to reveal secrets over the pedophile financier’s ties to the elite, but this week his Justice Department closed its inquiry and claimed he had no long-suspected ‘client list’ and ruled his mysterious 2019 death was a suicide.
For Gates – who has not been accused of any wrongdoing by authorities – the new headlines brought renewed focus on his own ties to Epstein.
The collapse of Gates’ 27-year marriage to Melinda French Gates was allegedly fueled by his ties to Epstein, with his wife alluding to the issue in the past.
Gates has long denied any wrongdoing and has never been tied to any of Epstein’s crimes – but even his casual link to the depraved pedophile has permanently tarnished the tycoon’s reputation.
Melina told CBS’s Gayle King in 2022 that ‘many things’ contributed to the divorce, but specifically cited ‘that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein’ as a cause.
Melinda added that she met Epstein once ‘to see who this man was’, but said she ‘regretted it the second I walked in the door.’
‘He was abhorrent. He was evil personified,’ she said. ‘My heart breaks for these women.’
Bill has also since expressed his regret for having ties to Epstein, telling the Wall Street Journal in January: ‘In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him.’
For Gates – who has not been accused of any wrongdoing by authorities – headlines this week about Jeffrey Epstein brought renewed focus on his own ties to the predator
At the Sun Valley conference in Idaho this week, Gates is joined by many of the world’s most powerful and influential figures in the world.
It is known as a deal-makers paradise, with a number of high-profile negotiations taking place at the summit in recent years.
This includes Disney’s acquisition of ABC in 1995 for $19 billion, and Comcast’s takeover of NBCUniversal in 2009 for $13.75 billion.
This year, the industry-shaking introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to take center stage, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman among the elites who have shown face this week.
Altman’s appearance comes as he is feuding with Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg – who has not been seen at the summit this year – over trying to poach top AI staff talent from each other’s companies.
Despite tying the knot just weeks ago in a headline-grabbing wedding in Italy, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his new wife Lauren Sanchez were spotted in attendance this week
This year, the industry-shaking introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to take center stage, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman among the elites who have shown face this week
Google CEO Sundar Pichai was also seen making his entrance at the invite-only summit
Apple CEO Tim Cook, 64, arrived at Sun Valley on July 8 sporting large white Nike sneakers
Although President Trump is not present, his daughter Ivanka showed up, and was seen speaking with Wendi Murdoch, the third wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch
Also pictured in attendance was chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group Barry Diller, 83, who arrived with his wife, fashion designer Diane von Fusternberg, 78, weeks after he came out as gay in his memoirs
Another key player in the AI race, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, was also seen at the event, entering the same day as Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav at the event at the Sun Valley lodge.
Although President Trump is not present, his daughter Ivanka showed up, and was seen speaking with Wendi Murdoch, the third wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Also pictured in attendance was chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group Barry Diller, 83, who arrived with his wife, fashion designer Diane von Fusternberg, 78, weeks after he came out as gay in his memoirs.
Diller and von Fusternberg were named in the Daily Mail’s worst dressed list at the Sun Valley summit, as they opted to wear thick wintery clothes and a Hawaiian shirt despite warm temperatures in Idaho.
CBS anchor Gayle King was also named to the worst dressed list, with her appearance at the event surprising some observers as she rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s richest people.
