Tens of thousands of group are descending upon Black Rock City, Nevada, this week for the dusty godforsaken show known arsenic Burning Man.
The event, which kicked disconnected connected Sunday and runs done September 7, has go a playground for billionaires, Hollywood A-listers, and Silicon Valley elites alike. Over the years, big-name tech bros and well-heeled execs person joined the festival, trading their hoodies for light-up bodysuits and Allbirds for sky-high boots.
The unwritten rules of the arts show promote anonymity and privacy. Nicknames and imaginative costumes — the taxable this twelvemonth is "Axis Mundi" — often make it difficult for festivalgoers to show if they've tally into personification celebrated aliases conscionable a chap burner, arsenic attendees of the famously anti-capitalist arena are called.
Still, the attendance of high-profile figures astatine Burning Man has been apparent, pinch immoderate members of the tech elite uncovering their clip connected the playa — burner-speak for the barren reservoir furniture wherever the show takes spot — truthful life-changing that they can't thief but speak astir it publicly.
Some of the ultrawealthy who spell to Burning Man alert successful connected private jets and walk their clip successful "fancy camps," pinch meals made by individual chefs who complaint hundreds of thousands of dollars for their services. For regular attendees, it's still imaginable to spot 1 of these celebrated faces successful the desert.
Here are immoderate of the astir celebrated execs and founders who moonlight arsenic burners:
Elon Musk has been very nationalist astir his emotion for Burning Man.
Not only has Elon Musk made much than 1 visit to Black Rock City, but he's besides gone connected the grounds touting the yearly show arsenic an integral portion of Silicon Valley culture.
"If you haven't been, you conscionable don't get it," the Tesla CEO told Recode successful 2014.
As precocious arsenic 2022, Musk was posting astir Burning Man connected Twitter.
Mark Zuckerberg served sandwiches astatine the festival.
In 2012, astatine the urging of his friend and Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskowitz, Mark Zuckerberg took a break from his engaged schedule to alert to Burning Man for a time and make immoderate grilled food sandwiches.
"Along pinch its different inhabitants, he helped transportation his ain tent," Moskowitz, a regular Burning Man attendee, wrote successful a 2013 Medium post.
"I wanted him to acquisition the metropolis and to acquisition gifting because I thought it would make him turn arsenic a personification and the world amended disconnected arsenic a result; I judge that's precisely what happened, nevertheless marginally (he was already a beautiful awesome person)," he added astir the Meta CEO.
Sam Altman was converted to a burner aft attending the festival.
Sam Altman hasn't ever been a instrumentality of Burning Man. There was a clip erstwhile the OpenAI CEO wanted thing to do pinch immoderate went down successful Black Rock City.
"That is simply a ridiculous, escapism, crazy party," Altman said astir his erstwhile views connected Burning Man connected the "Life successful Seven Songs" podcast successful 2024.
Then, he saw what each of the hype was about. Altman said connected the podcast that he'd been to Burning Man 5 aliases six times.
"All these lights. All this unthinkable art. People conscionable biking around," Altman said connected the podcast. "Everyone truthful happy, truthful engaged, truthful coming that I was like, 'OK, I was incorrect to beryllium truthful antagonistic connected Burning Man.'"
He said the acquisition showed him what the world could look for illustration erstwhile artificial wide intelligence — AI tin of matching aliases surpassing quality intelligence — is achieved.
"This is 1 possible, like, portion of what the post-AGI world tin look like," Altman said connected the podcast. "Where group are conscionable focused connected doing worldly for each other, caring for each other, and making unthinkable gifts to springiness each other."
Elizabeth Holmes, disgraced Theranos founder, had a seemingly belief acquisition astatine the show successful 2018.
Before Elizabeth Holmes began serving her nine-year situation sentence, the disgraced biotech entrepreneur attended Burning Man.
In 2018, aft it was discovered that Holmes was defrauding investors and she was indicted by a expansive jury, the erstwhile Theranos CEO and her partner, Billy Evans, decided to attend Burning Man.
While there, they torched an effigy for the grounded — and fraudulent — blood-testing business earlier embarking connected a six-month RV travel walking the country, she told The New York Times successful 2023.
Jeff Bezos was attending Burning Man while different members of Silicon Valley royalty were still teenagers.
As early arsenic 1999, Jeff Bezos was attending Burning Man, Forbes reported. That's agelong earlier the arena became the go-to statement for younger CEOs.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google cofounders, are longtime burners.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page person attended the arena repeatedly complete the years. In 1998, the very first Google Doodle was inspired by Burning Man.
Eric Schmidt, erstwhile Google CEO, bonded pinch the Google founders complete the festival.
Brin and Page's obsession pinch the show played a domiciled successful their prime of Eric Schmidt for Google CEO successful 2001. Schmidt confirmed he'd bonded pinch the founders complete the festival.
"I had been going before, and they had besides gone, and truthful we recovered a kindred tone there," he said during a talk astatine Stanford University successful 2017.
Dustin Moskovitz included his Asana cofounder Justin Rosenstein successful a database of salient attendees successful 2013.
One of the biggest sources of accusation astir which tech executives spell to Burning Man is Moskovitz, who cofounded Facebook.
In a heartfelt 2013 Medium post about the festival, he listed peers who had attended the large event.
The portion — arguable wrong the Burning Man organization — based on that billionaires person a correct to be the festival, a constituent he said was eye-opening for galore of his friends. He based on that those who denied their correct to be were promoting a civilization of exclusivity.
Among the tech execs Moskovitz listed arsenic show attendees were his Asana cofounder Justin Rosenstein, Zuckerberg, and the Winklevoss twins, who famously sued Zuckerberg complete the origins of the societal network.
Garrett Camp, cofounder of Uber, was connected his 11th travel to Burning Man successful 2013.
Garrett Camp, cofounder of Uber, has been a regular burner, according to anthropologist Francis Jervis. When the 2 met astatine the show successful 2013, Jervis said it was Camp's 11th clip attending.
"His first acquisition of the extremist otherness of the Playa was successful the clip of the Hillbilly Freak Show, not the luxurious turnkey camps pinch which Silicon Valley is associated today," Jervis wrote.
Alexis Ohanian, Reddit cofounder, was a burner earlier he was Serena Williams' husband.
Alexis Ohanian, cofounder of Reddit, whitethorn now beryllium champion known arsenic the partner of tennis prima Serena Williams. Not excessively agelong ago, he was conscionable different tech mogul wandering the godforsaken successful hopes of uncovering himself.
He said he attended Burning Man during an quality connected Tim Ferriss's podcast successful 2014.
Drew Houston, cofounder and CEO of Dropbox, went to the show successful 2014.
Drew Houston, Dropbox cofounder and CEO, attended Burning Man successful 2014, TechCrunch reported astatine the time.
Ray Dalio, billionaire investor, attended the show successful 2019.
Ray Dalio, the billionaire hedge money head who founded Bridgewater Associates, made an appearance astatine Burning Man successful 2019, wearing a tie-dye overgarment and psychedelic bell-bottoms.
He said in a tweet that the show was for illustration Woodstock, pinch "better art" and "less bully music."
Just backmost from Burning Man. Reminds maine of Woodstock pinch amended creation (installations) and little bully music. What a awesome vibe and what astonishing creativity!
Photo is pinch my pal and coworker Jeff Taylor astatine his awesome euphony campy Root Society. If you spell adjacent year, 1-5am is best. pic.twitter.com/ua5UIbRlxo
Josh Kushner, laminitis of the task superior patient Thrive Capital, has attended Burning Man pinch his exemplary wife, Karlie Kloss.
Josh Kushner, the billionaire laminitis of task superior patient Thrive Capital and younger relative of Jared Kushner, was seen astatine Burning Man successful 2022 pinch his wife, Karlie Kloss.
He appeared connected the model's Instagram, holding hands pinch her successful beforehand of a elephantine fork sculpture commissioned by Musk.
Brian Chesky, Airbnb cofounder, attended his first Burning Man successful 2013.
Billionaire Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky first attended Burning Man successful 2013, according to Chip Conley, Airbnb's erstwhile caput of world hospitality and strategy.
"Burning Man is what life would beryllium for illustration if artists ruled the world," Chesky said aft attending, according to Conley, who shared the communicative connected an section of The Human Upgrade podcast successful 2023.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, erstwhile CEO of DreamWorks, invested successful a business he encountered astatine Burning Man.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, cofounder and erstwhile CEO of DreamWorks, recovered an finance opportunity astatine Burning Man.
Katzenberg, who besides founded the tech finance patient WndrCo, told CNBC successful an question and reply past twelvemonth that he was connected the playa erstwhile he saw a "dazzling" drone ray show and wanted to cognize much astir who was down it.
"The logic I went to Burning Man — I emotion Burning Man — is the art. The creation cars, the creation shows, and I was location successful 2022, and suddenly, successful this entity is this virtually mind-blowing exhibition," he said.
The personification down the show: Kimball Musk, Elon Musk's brother. Katzenberg invested successful Nova Sky Stories, cofounded by Kimball Musk, and became a strategical advisor to the institution past year.
Like galore who spell to Burning Man, Katzenberg said he slept successful a shelter there.
Honorable mention: the actors, musicians, and different celebrities who emotion to burn.
Billionaires and CEOs aren't the only recognizable faces who person popped up astatine Burning Man successful the past. The arena has besides hosted a number of models, influencers, and heirs to business empires.
DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock were among the Burners who were stranded successful the mud during dense rains successful 2023. Diplo documented their trek connected societal media earlier the brace utilized their prima powerfulness to hitch a thrust pinch a instrumentality retired of flooded conditions.
In erstwhile years, the show has been seen successful a much glamorous ray done the Instagram outfit pictures from Katy Perry, Paris Hilton, and Heidi Klum.
Becky Peterson and Kylie Kirschner contributed to earlier versions of this story.
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