Mark Zuckerberg is worth an estimated $243.1 billion. And when you have that kind of money, the kind in which Benjamins might as well be toilet paper, you tend to spend it on extravagant things. For Zuck, one of those buys includes a secretive lair in Hawaii.
The compound has been shrouded in mystery and controversy. Specifically, there have been reports of a so-called “doomsday bunker.” Now, Zuck appears to be expanding on the sprawling 700 acres near the small town of Kilauea, which he acquired in 2014 for $100 million. The construction is costing $300 million, with more interesting builds.
And according to WIRED, the expansion is on top of a sacred burial ground.
Workers involved in the new construction have been asked to sign NDAs, adding to the secrecy surrounding the compound. Per Julian Ako, who spoke with WIRED, he believes his ancestors might be buried on the land. But the NDAs present a problem:
“If all of the workers have signed these nondisclosure agreements, then basically they’re sworn to silence,” Ako said. “If they uncover iwi—or bones—it’s going to be a challenge for that to ever become public knowledge, because they’re putting their jobs in jeopardy.”
Already existing on the compound, there are two large mansions with a footprint the size of a football field, saucer-shaped treehouses, a gym, tennis courts, ranch houses, and the aforementioned underground bunker (about the size of an NBA court).
And now, they’re building more.
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Previously, Zuck had received some heat (aka a lawsuit) from locals regarding his massive property on the North Shore of Kauai. He even bought out locals to purchase portions of the land, sometimes to the tune of $20 million. In a chat with SURFER, Kauai charger and activist Dustin Barca said: “It’s the most f–king low-level, classless move, pushing those families out of there.”
It appears now, however, Zuck is there to stay. And the controversy continues.
“If our island has any hope of remaining Hawaii this kind of activity has got to stop,” professor of Native Hawaiian studies at the Kauai Community College Puali‘i Rossi told WIRED. “Eventually Hawaii isn’t going to look like Hawaii anymore—it’s going to be a resort community. Are we really thinking about 100 years from now, what this island is going to look like?”
Related: Mark Zuckerberg Wake Surfs, Talks “Doomsday Bunker” (Video)