Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been deploying aggressive legal measures to continue acquiring land in Hawai’i, according to Luxurylaunches.
Zuckerberg has been building a sprawling compound on the island of Kauaʻi for over a decade.
Ko’olau Ranch includes tunnels, treehouses, and underground bunkers. Amenities reportedly include a gym, pools, sauna, hot tub, cold plunge, and a tennis court. Security is tight, with cameras, keypad locks, motion sensors, and non-disclosure agreements for those working on the site. It’s designed for self-sufficiency, including its own food supply, water supply, and electrical grid. It could eventually accommodate over 100 people, by one estimate.
Zuckerberg’s most recent acquisition was 962 acres of land for $65 million. He spent $100 million on 700 acres originally, then followed up with $53 million for 600 acres, $17 million for 1,500 acres, and plans to spend $30 million on three new dormitory complexes. The cost of the property is estimated to be more than $300 million.
Zuckerberg’s representative, Brandi Hoffine Barr, has defended the latest acquisition.
“The vast majority of the land is dedicated to agriculture — including cattle ranching, organic ginger, macadamia nut, and turmeric farming, native plant restoration, and endangered species protection,” she said. “After purchasing the ranch, they canceled the previous owner’s plans for 80 luxury homes.”
Even if one were to take claims of sustainability at Ko’olau Ranch at face value, the luxury lifestyles of the world’s billionaires are creating a disproportionate amount of atmospheric pollution. Those emissions contribute to increasingly extreme weather patterns like floods and droughts, which jeopardize food supplies and housing.
While the display of excess is off-putting enough, this land-grab may be treading on Indigenous rights as well. Descendants claiming rights to access burial grounds have been pressured by legal action from Zuckerberg to establish a single owner of these lands. This “quiet title” action is typically seen as a way for the rich to be able to better control acquisition.
Local activist Healani Sonoda-Pale has called the quiet title process the equivalent of “legal stealing.” Luckily, Hawaiian legislation was passed that would force parties like Zuckerberg to assume the costs of quiet title legal action for both sides.
Reddit commenters were downright insulted by Zuckerberg’s behavior.
“Zuck is so unworthy of his riches,” said one community member.
“365 million. I wonder how much $365 million could do towards cleaning garbage out of the ocean…” wrote another reply.
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