You Can Relax, Shari – Viacom’s Philippe Dauman to Skip Sun Valley Conference

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman will skip the annual gathering of moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho, avoiding the possible awkwardness of an encounter with arch rival Shari Redstone.

“Mr. Dauman had planned to join the Allen & Co. conference but is attending to pressing business matters,” Viacom said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the president of National Amusements, which owns a controlling interest in Viacom, has been seen all over the event over the last few days. Shari Redstone was even photographed getting into a car with CBS boss Les Moonves.

Also Read: Viacom's Shari Redstone, ESPN's John Skipper Get Paparazzi Treatment at Sun Valley (Photos)

Shari Redstone’s ailing and aging father, Sumner Redstone, recently booted Dauman and board Viacom member George Abrams from National Amusements’ Board of Directors and his family trust. Meanwhile, accusations of Shari’s manipulation of her dad’s decision-making have flown through media statements and legal records.

Allen & Co.’s annual event, which is referred to as “summer camp for billionaires,” includes tech and entertainment industry moguls. The conference features several days of high-level discussions about business and the economy, which are completely off limits to the media.

Also scheduled to be in attendance are Disney CEO Bob Iger, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, Facebook CEO and chairman Mark Zuckerberg, NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft and News Corp’s Rupert, Lachlan and James Murdoch .