(NewsNation) — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has denied reports of building an underground "doomsday bunker," instead describing it "like a basement."
In an interview with Bloomberg, he was asked if he was building a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter underneath his 1,400-acre compound in Kauai, Hawaii.
Zuckerberg replied, “No, I think that’s just like a little shelter. It’s like a basement."
He added: "I think it got blown out of proportion as if the whole ranch was some kind of doomsday bunker, which is just not true."
Zuckerberg’s net worth was estimated at $214.4 billion by Forbes, making him the third richest person in the world.
Zuckerberg building bunker in Hawaii: Report
In December 2023, Wired reported that Zuckerberg was building a massive Hawaiian compound complete with treehouses, dozens of bedrooms and an underground bunker.
The ranch would have at least 30 bedrooms and 30 bathrooms and a network of tree houses that connect some of the rooms, according to Wired.
Wired reports that the main residences will be joined by a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter that includes living spaces and an escape hatch. Sources told Wired the compound will be completely self-sufficient, with an 18-foot-tall water tank and pump system and food production systems.
The in-depth investigation by Wired said it would reportedly cost $100 million to build.
The Wired investigation cited sources and planning documents obtained through public records requests.
What are doomsday preppers?
Doomsday preppers are stocking up for the end of the world or, at the very least, major calamity. Preppers may learn survivalist skills as well as stockpiling supplies such as food and ammunition.
Some preppers go as far as constructing bunkers that could survive a catastrophic event like a nuclear bomb. One of the world’s largest bunker communities is at an old Army base in South Dakota.
Renamed Vivos, NewsNation visited the community where former military, doctors, lawyers, school teachers and others are buying up bunkers from all over the country.
The effort to avoid the end-of-the-world event isn’t cheap. The bunkers in South Dakota run around $55,000 unfinished, which is still a lot less than Zuckerberg is spending in Hawaii.
Who is doomsday prepping?
A number of Silicon Valley billionaires have been rumored to be buying up land in case of an apocalypse.
OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman and celebrities Ryan Seacrest and Josh Duhamel are reportedly into prepping, too. Reality star Kim Kardashian has also been reported to be a prepper.
Other celebrities who are known or rumored to be preppers include sitcom star Roseanne Barr, who has advocated for organization with neighbors; actor Jamie Lee Curtis, who has worked with the Red Cross to promote emergency preparedness; actor Nathan Fillion, who learned welding to prepare for the zombie apocalypse; and former UFC star Ronda Rousey, who has a homestead and is raising chickens.
NewsNation's digital producers Sean Noone, Liz Jassin and Caitlyn Shelton contributed to this report.
Source:
www.newsnationnow.com
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