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“Billionaire bunkers” — secure underground bastions for the ultra-wealthy — are becoming a new trend for the world’s elite. Tech billionaire Peter Thiel, for instance, is in the process of building such a bunker in New Zealand. Yet Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s sprawling fortress in Hawaii sets a whole new standard for what the billionaire bunker can become. Public observers are raising red flags over the trend.
Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid wonders whether people should be alarmed by the fact that billionaires — who she says are the ones supposed to be most informed on the state of the world — are building secure bunker facilities in case of a future apocalyptic event. Reid suggests that there is more cause for concern beyond just the nature of projects like Zuckerberg’s bunker.
I recently watched the Netflix hit “Leave the World Behind.” It’s about two families who become stranded in a rural town outside of New York City, while the world apparently ends, for reasons that, you know, in retrospect, they just don’t seem that far out of the realm of possibility.
Like many, the fact that the movie was produced by the Obamas didn’t make me feel great. Like, are they trying to tell us something? Is it time to start stockpiling beans and DVDs? Michelle, send me a DM, I won’t tell anybody.
Another fact that doesn’t make me feel especially hopeful about the longevity of humanity is the fact that billionaires tend to have bunkers. You know, just in case.
I more or less knew this, of course, but there have been recent news reports delving into the $270 million compound Mark Zuckerberg is currently constructing on the Hawaiian island of Kawaii. And yes, of course it includes its own energy and food sources, as well as an underground bunker approximately four times the size of the average single-family house, complete with a blast-resistant door.
Wired broke the story, but until then, this project was top secret. Workers weren’t allowed to discuss what they were building, ironclad NDAs abounded, and a six-foot wall was even erected to block the construction from view.
I have to say, I hate it when billionaires try to hide things — it makes me very anxious. And I especially hate it when they try to hide the fact that they, who are the ones who presumably know all the overlord-type secrets, seem to be prepping for doomsday, and won’t even give us mere mortals like, just a heads up would be great.
