Gregory Robinson
Mark Zuckerberg has finally responded to the rumors about allegedly having a mysterious underground bunker lurking beneath his multi-million dollar mansion.
Amid the conflicts in the Middle East and the war between Russia and Ukraine, many people have expressed their deep concerns and fears that the world might be approaching the brink of a third World War. People are more curious than ever about rumors like Mark Zuckerberg’s underground ‘Doomsday’ bunker as it has come to be known on social media.
Could it be an example of how the ultra-wealthy are preparing for an uncertain future, or is it simply the product of internet rumors, with the reality far less ominous?
The Meta CEO spoke about the rumours about his so-called ‘underground bunker’ in Hawaii during an interview on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast. The 41-year-old said the space is ‘more underground storage’.
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The Facebook co-founder said it is ‘not that big of a tunnel’, referencing a video taken by his wife, paediatrician Priscilla Chan, in which he can be spotted playing video games inside the construction.
“It’s sort of a tunnel that just goes to another building… it’s like having a little storm shelter underground,” he said.
Zuckerberg purchased 700 acres of land on the Hawaiian island of Kauai in 2014 for around $170 million. He has purchased even more land in the years that followed, with the vision to build a 1,400-acre compound called Koolau Ranch worth $270 million.
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Zuckerberg has been tight lipped about his project, but according to documents seen by Wired last year that detailed plans for the then-partially constructed estate, the entire complex is blocked off by a six-foot wall and is monitored by security. Also no one working on the project is reportedly allowed to talk about it, with contractors made to sign NDAs.
The plans revealed two mansions will be 'joined by a tunnel' that 'branches off into a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter', equipped with soundproofed chambers and hidden doors.
The bunker would have a living space, a mechanical room and an escape hatch that can be accessed with a ladder, while a blast proof door would be made from concrete and metal.
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Zuckerberg, who has a net worth of $245.8bn lifted the lid on whether the reports are true and if he actually has a massive Doomsday shelter in an interview with Bloomberg's Emily Chang.
Chang asked him whether he had a bunker under his compound, to which he said: "No, I think that's just like a little shelter. It's like a basement.
"We have the basic house that we built, and we built an office out there because I work out there. There's a bunch of storage space, whatever you want to call it, a hurricane shelter or whatever.
"I think it got blown out of proportion as if the whole ranch was some kind of Doomsday bunker, which is just not true."