These candid portraits of powerful corporate executives, taken this weekend at the private investment firm Allen & Company's annual media and technology conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, intrigued us for reasons we can't fully explain. Maybe it's because some of these rich guys seem so damned miserable?

For example, Jeff Bezos, founder/president/CEO/board chair of Amazon.com (left), looks like he just found a fly in his beverage. And John Elkann, chairman of Fiat Spa (right), appears as though he's just watched his house wash away in a flood. Later on, we'll meet Bankrate president and CEO Thomas "Tom" Evans, who runs a gigantic consumer financial services company but calls to mind the standard-issue, Depression-era hobo with his hands-in-pockets stance. And Skype CEO Tony Bates—what's his problem?

Of course, in the end our little gallery heavily relies upon photo availability and strategic editing. For all we know, these guys were en route to a delightful champagne brunch where the laughter flowed freely and joviality reigned. Still, we can project! [Images via Getty]

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner (and former Max's Kansas City waiter) Bing Gordon [Image via Getty]

Giovine Capital Group CEO Tom Giovine and Bankrate president/CEO Thomas 'Tom' Evans [Images via Getty]

Emirati businessman Khaldoon Al Mubarak [Image via Getty]

Alfonso de Angoitia, director and executive vice president of Grupo Televisa, S.A. [Image via Getty]

Sam Nunn, co-chairman and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and Scott Bommer, president and CEO of SAB Capital Management [Images via Getty]

Malaysian billionaire T. Ananda Krishnan [Image via Getty]

Ronald Williams, chairman and CEO of Aetna [Image via Getty]

Steven Boal, CEO and founder of Coupons.com [Image via Getty]

Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank [Image via Getty]

Tony Bates, CEO of Skype Technologies SA [Image via Getty]

Andreas Halvorsen, founding partner of Viking Global Investors LP, and David Barse, CEO of Third Avenue Management LLC [Images via Getty]

Facebook CEO Mark "Royal Zux" Zuckerberg [Image via Getty]

Dave Wehner, chief financial officer of Zynga, and Stan Kroenke, chairman of the Kroenke Group [Images via Getty]

Andrew Mason, founder and CEO of Groupon [Image via Getty]

Jonathan Oppenheimer, chairman of De Beers Canada [Image via Getty]

John Hendricks, founder and chairman of Discovery Communications, and Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP Group [Images via Getty]