I hope you’re ready for Zuck’s “Get Low” cover. Heads-up: The lyrics are pretty explicit. In case you love it, they also dropped it on Spotify under the artist name “Z-Pain.” Does anyone have a Tylenol? I need a Z-Painkiller after listening to that.
Mark Zuckerberg and other billionaires are building massive hidden bunkers
Mark Zuckerberg is building a $100M hidden compound on his Hawaiian island ranch — and he doesn’t want you to know about it.
I’m so fascinated by this. It’s not just the Meta CEO, either — billionaires worldwide are adding fortresses to their properties. Why? Good question.
🏝️ Island getaway (from the rest of humanity)
Zuckerberg bought the 1,400-acre Koolau Ranch on Kauai Island in 2014, but only in the last few years did he start a major construction project on the property. Of course, workers had to sign documents promising to keep the details quiet.
Good thing for us who want to be nosey: All the work requires permits. Planning documents show Zuck is building a sprawling estate with a dozen buildings (no surprise) with a 5,000-square-foot subterranean bunker hidden underneath.
Is Zuck preparing for the apocalypse, or at least some sort of societal collapse? Maybe. The plans do include what appears to be a blast-resistant door. Dang, I forgot to include one of those at my new house. Makes you wonder what he knows that we don’t
Billionaires club
If he is getting ready for the end of days, he’s not the first multi-billionaire to hedge his bets on the fate of humanity. Heck, he wouldn’t even be the only one to do so on Kauai. Another billionaire, Frank VanderSloot (his real name), recently bought a 2,000-acre ranch just south of Zuck’s compound for a cool $51M.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said that he and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel have an “arrangement” set up in case the world is ending. If things hit the fan, the pair would fly to one of Thiel’s properties in New Zealand to hide out.
Wonder where exactly they’re going to stay. In 2022, a local community council on New Zealand’s South Island blocked Thiel’s plans to build a bunker compound. They said it would disturb the local environment. Look at that, the little guy still wins sometimes.
BYOP (Buy your own passport)
More and more uber-wealthy people have been buying islands — or at least big chunks of them — in recent years. Richard Branson and Johnny Depp top listicles about privately owned islands, along with wealthy fams like the Du Ponts and the Disneys. (OK, I want to stay on the Disney private island. Know anyone?)
Can Meta make a better Twitter?
Stumped as to why you can’t endlessly browse Twitter? Sorry, but you have to pay up. Twitter now limits how many tweets you can see. Pay for Twitter Blue ($84 a year) and you can read 6,000 daily. Otherwise, free accounts are limited to 600 tweets, and newbies can read just 300.
It's official: Facebook censors your opinions
Mark Zuckerberg is now apologizing for censoring conservative views during the pandemic. But the real shocker? He claims it was under pressure from the White House.
🚨 No one wants to give you money for nothing: X rival Bluesky just hit over 20 million members. Big shocker (not), crypto scams are now everywhere on the platform. There’s an AI-generated pic of Mark Zuckerberg promoting a fake “MetaCoin.” Others are dangling “FREE Bitcoin & Ethereum.” Don’t take the bait; report the spam and move on.
Mark Zuckerberg just became the fourth-richest person in the world. Who isn’t a member of the $200 billion club? Is it … A.) Larry Ellison, B.) Jeff Bezos, C.) Elon Musk or D.) Warren Buffet?
275 million accounts
Using Meta’s Threads, the rival to X. Zuckerberg says it’s on track to be their next major social app, with over 1 million people signing up each day. I think it’s kinda lame …
The have’s and the have yachts
Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, sporting a gold chain and Gen Z curly hair, knows everyone’s roasting him online. From being called a lizard to claims he doesn’t blink, he’s ok with it. At 40, he says from his 387-foot mega yacht, if you’re gonna joke, “At least make them good memes.”
Just like us … sort of: Believe it or not, billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg still take out mortgage loans. Why? It provides liquidity. By not tying up their wealth in homes, they can use that cash for bigger investments. Example: Pay 5% interest on a $2 million mortgage and invest the $2 million in something earning 10%. This isn’t financial advice, but it makes sense to me.
🕶️ Can’t wait for a new wave of glass-holes: Mark Zuckerberg thinks Meta’s Orion smart glasses will replace smartphones for messaging, video chatting and browsing social media. Zuck and his team have been working on the (really) thick black glasses for 10 years. They include a holographic display only the wearer can see. No price or timeline yet.
Zuck’s singing like a canary: The question is why? Mark Zuckerberg finally admitted Facebook censored conservative views during the pandemic, citing pressure from senior White House officials. Posts criticizing the COVID-19 vaccines, mask mandates or suggesting the virus was created in a Chinese laboratory were deleted.
These famous tech personalities are all college dropouts except for one. Is it … A.) Michael Dell, B.) Steve Jobs, C.) Elon Musk or D.) Mark Zuckerberg?
🦎 The haves and have yachts: Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, sporting a gold chain and curly hair, knows everyone’s roasting him online. From being called a “lizard” to claims he doesn’t blink, he’s OK with it all. The 40-year-old says from his 387-foot mega yacht that if you’re gonna joke, “At least make them good memes.”
🖼️ Color me impressed: Mark Zuckerberg announced the other day Meta’s AI model will be open-sourced, unlike Google’s version or OpenAI. I’ve been playing with Meta AI’s image tools. Use the prompt, “Imagine a photo (cartoon, watercolor or whatever)” and what you want it to create. Now, there are six fingers on some hands and other anomalies, but for version 1.0, it’s darn good. Try it here.
The big 4-0
Mark Zuckerberg celebrated turning 40 on his new $300 million superyacht. The 387-foot-long vessel, “Launchpad,” is the big boat. A smaller yacht behind it carries his staff and toys. All this and he still can’t figure out how young girls won’t get DM’d by creeps on Instagram.
Billionaire adrenaline junkie: Meta just spilled the beans in its SEC filing. Turns out, Mark Zuckerberg’s hobbies (eh, hydrofoiling?) are wilder than a rodeo bull. The filing mentions the risk of “material adverse impact” on operations if any of his daredevil antics lead to serious injury or death.
Take that to the bank: Mark Zuckerberg is about to cash in big time — $700 million yearly in dividends. The payday follows Meta slashing 21,000 jobs and seeing its stock prices nearly triple. Yeesh.
The boy who would be king
What’s stopping Mark Zuckerberg from ruling the land? Find out the answer in this podcast. Also, Nancy from South Carolina is looking for a cure for battery drain, and I’ve got some tips.
Mark Zuckerberg announces a new VR headset but nobody cares
The Metaverse is dead. Are Meta’s line of VR headsets dead too? I have the scoop in this 60-second podcast.
The Death of the Metaverse
How much did Mark Zuckerberg bet on it? Let’s just say, it’s enough to make a grown man cry. I spill the numbers in this 60-second podcast.