Mark Zuckerberg is said to have started work on Koolau Ranch, his sprawling 1,400-acre compound on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, as far back as 2014.
It is set to include a shelter, complete with its own energy and food supplies, though the carpenters and electricians working on the site were banned from talking about it by non-disclosure agreements, according to a report by Wired magazine. A six-foot wall blocked the project from view of a nearby road.
Asked last year if he was creating a doomsday bunker, the Facebook founder gave a flat no. The underground space spanning some 5,000 square feet is, he explained, just like a little shelter, it's like a basement.
That hasn't stopped the speculation, especially regarding his decision to buy 11 properties in the Crescent Park neighborhood of Palo Alto in California, alongside an apparent 7,000 square feet underground space. While building permits refer to basements, neighbors call it a bunker—sometimes even dubbing it a billionaire's bat cave.
Other Silicon Valley billionaires seem to be emulating Zuckerberg's clandestine property improvements. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, has dubbed it apocalypse insurance, asserting that a significant fraction of the super-wealthy hold similar investments, with New Zealand being a favored location for such safety nets.
With rising fears of war, climate change, or unforeseen catastrophes, it’s worth reflecting on these emerging trends among tech figures.
The AI race is escalating, drawing attention as well. Ilya Sutskever, chief scientist and co-founder of OpenAI, suggested that as artificial intelligence advances, the safety of AI systems necessitates protective measures. Reportedly, he indicated the necessity of constructing underground shelters for the company's top scientists as AI technology reaches critical milestones.
Simultaneously, top executives claim that AGI will arrive sooner than expected. Sam Altman, head of OpenAI, suggested in late 2024 that we are on the brink of significant developments. However, experts remain divided on when and how these shifts in intelligence will emerge.
While advancements present opportunities, they also pose risks — should these technologies fall into the wrong hands or evolve uncontrollably, the implications for society could be dire. Those advocating for advanced AI are often overshadowed by the concerns of individuals like Tim Berners-Lee, who warn about the pressing need to manage and understand the limits of these technologies.
As elites invest in protective measures against potential threats, ordinary people must weigh the reality of these developments. With ongoing conversations about AI’s implications and the threat level posed by climate change, the division between preparation and paranoia continues to blur.
