8 months ago
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When we last checked in with Mark Zuckerberg, he was busy lowering his property tax rate by raising high-quality cattle and feeding them a steady diet of macadamia nuts and beer on his controversial, 1,600+ acre Hawaiian estate called Ko’olau Ranch. It was really taking “wealthy, sustainable, and wacky” to a whole new level. Speaking of, if you ever wondered what it would be like if Zuck had a bunker in the world of Leave the World Behind, you won’t have to wonder for much longer. The world’s sixth richest person is reportedly adding a 5,000 square-foot bunker underneath Ko’olau Ranch for a cool $100 mil.
Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly constructing an extensive compound in Kauai, Hawaii, featuring a unique blend of luxury and survivalist elements. The compound, known as Koolau Ranch, is set to include a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker, complete with its own energy and food supplies. The bunker’s design incorporates a metal door filled with concrete, a feature commonly found in bunkers and bomb shelters.
The project, which reflects a growing trend among Silicon Valley elites for preparedness and luxury, is estimated to cost around $100 million to build on top of the $170 million spent acquiring the land. This brings the total investment to approximately $270 million, according to Wired.
The project has been shrouded in secrecy since the beginning. Workers on the ranch are required to sign strict nondisclosure agreements, and reports indicate people have been fired for posting on social media that they are working on the project. Workers on the compound undergo constant surveillance from hundreds of cameras, and military-style security measures have been implemented across the ranch.
The methods to acquire the land also give rise to issues and speculation. Zuckerberg initially hid the purchases of land using shell companies and brokers to disguise them. Those shell companies are now involved in several lawsuits claiming they pressured locals with ancestral land rights to sell the land or get into a bidding war at auction with one of the richest men in the world.
The sprawling 1,400-acre compound is planned to house more than just the bunker. It will include over 30 bedrooms and bathrooms, two mansions connected by a tunnel to the bunker and nearly a dozen tree houses linked by rope bridges. The tree houses are designed to provide guests with an immersive treetop experience. The compound also will feature a fitness center, guest houses and other operational buildings.
The county where the compound is being built offers tax incentives for building hurricane-resistant safe rooms, which might partially explain the construction of such a robust structure. Despite the grand scale of the development, representatives for Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, emphasize their commitment to preserving the natural beauty of the ranch. They point out that the development occupies less than 1% of the land, with the rest dedicated to farming, ranching, conservation and wildlife preservation. Alongside the sprawling farm and ranch, the compound is being designed to be self-sustaining. From underground bunkers to its own energy and water supplies, the compound has nearly everything you would need to survive for months at a time.
Whenever I hear these stories, I’m always torn between rolling my eyes and lowkey wondering if the people on that billionaires WhatsApp chat know something that we don’t know. But reading the description of that compound with its 30 bedrooms, two mansions connected to the bunker by tunnel, and treehouses is truly f—king wild. How gross to store that much food for a “what if” scenario when there are children out there who are starving. Also, what a bummer that the treehouses probably won’t survive the apocalypse.
The real kicker here is that Zuckerberg and his family don’t even need this estate on this land, which has forced Hawaiian natives off of it. Like, it’s all just too much. Tax the rich more. If they have enough money to build bonkers (typo and it stays) that are like four to five times the size of most people’s homes, then they can spare a couple hundred million in taxes to help benefit the rest of us. Ugh, the more I hear about what Zuck’s been up to lately, the more I start thinking that maybe it wouldn’t have been such a bad idea to let Elon and Zuck duke it out.
