For most of us, ‘thinking ahead’ means planning what we are going to order off Deliveroo tonight. But the billionaires over at Silicon Valley are thinking way ahead - to the end of the world.
In an interview with the New Yorker, some of the richest men in America admitted they are taking some extreme measures to prepare for a potential apocalypse.
Antonio Garcia Martinez, former Facebook product manager, has bought 5 acres of land on an island in Pacific Northwest. He’s also bought thousands of rounds of ammo. Because apparently, that's what you need to survive an apocalyptic war (I Am Legend, eat your heart out). ‘All these dudes think that one guy alone could somehow withstand the roving mob. No, you’re going to need to form a local militia. You just need so many things to actually ride out the apocalypse.’ Clearly.
If you were Antonio Garcia Martinez’s mate, then surely you would tell him he’s acting like a nutter? Apparently not. Reid Hoffman, billionaire co-founder and CEO of Linkedin (side note: he’s only 33. WTF) claims more than 50% of those at Silicon Valley are preparing for an apocalypse. Many of them are following in Martinez’s footsteps and buying property abroad (New Zealand is a popular destination).
To survive the apocalypse, you need money. And lots of it. That’s pretty obvious when you look at this anonymous investment firm head’s plans. ‘I keep a helicopter gassed up all the time, and I have an underground bunker with an air-filtration system.’ His mates say he’s a bit ‘extreme’, but even they are buying guns, motorcycles and stocking up on gold coins.
This isn’t about a few nutty billionaires with more money than sense. There is a network of them working together to prepare themselves for the worst. There are private Facebook groups, where the elites swap tips on gas masks, bunkers and locations safe from the effects of climate change. I’m guessing that group chat isn’t full of banterful GIFs.
Billionaires are worried the masses will rise up against them, according to Reid Hoffman. Why? Because they introduced the machines that put millions of Americans out of work. It’s all very Marx. But not everyone is preparing for an uprising against the rich. Many are preparing for a giant earthquake, or for when shit really hits the fan with climate change.
Don’t stress, though. Apparently they are just doing the classic Silicon Valley thing of hedging their bets, according to Yishan Wong, former CEO of Reddit. ‘They consider it a remote event, but one with a very severe downside, so, given how much money they have, spending a fraction of their net worth to hedge against this…is a logical thing to do.’
When put like that, it makes sense. But I can’t help feeling it’s all a bit too like that film 2012, when the billionaires board those ships going to Mars whilst the rest of us freeze over.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.