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takyon writes:

The Bilderberg meeting is an annual conference that brings together politicians, business leaders, financiers, lobbyists, academics, and some journalists from the U.S. and Europe. Participants at this year's Bilderberg meeting include Google's Eric Schmidt, VP of Engineering for Google DeepMind Demis Hassabis, libertarian venture capitalist Peter Thiel, UK Chancellor George Osborne, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, and David Petraeus, who recently received a slap on the wrist after his powerful friends wrote letters of support urging a federal judge not to harshly sentence him for mishandling classified information.

There is no detailed agenda, with no resolutions or votes. "Thanks to the private nature of the conference, the participants are not bound by the conventions of their office or by pre-agreed positions," Bilderberg says. "As such, they can take time to listen, reflect and gather insights." Critics argue its aim is more sinister and there are countless different flavours of conspiracy theory.

One topic not on the outline list to be discussed this year is the environment. The Breitbart website calls this "stupid". But the importance of the Bilderberg meeting is emphasised by the Guardian, which argues it's more influential than the G7 meeting of leading economies that took place at the weekend, finishing with a call for an end to the use of fossil fuels by the end of the century. The sense of importance is echoed in the Irish Times, which says the invitation for Michael O'Leary means he can now take "his place among the chieftains of the world". Bilderberg might be secretive, but it's unlikely to be quiet this year.

Lawrence Lessig attended the meeting in 2013.