Marc Benioff
He’s the CEO and co-founder of San Francisco-based Salesforce, one of the world’s largest software companies, which owns the popular messaging service Slack and is worth nearly $300 billion. He also owns Time magazine.
When I ask Benioff about the properties in the anonymous LLCs, things seem to take a turn. He starts speaking more quickly and fidgets with a piece of paper in his hand. He’s reluctant to go through the holdings, and his adviser on the Zoom call jumps in to say we can discuss later.
A couple of days before the interview, Benioff texted the same NPR colleague again, asking for intel on my story. Then he called me and demanded to know the title of this piece. During that call, he also mentioned he knew the exact area where I was staying. Unnerved, I asked how he knew, and he said, “It’s my job. You have a job and I have a job.” During the interview, he brings up more personal details about me and my family.
I leave the meeting disconcerted and still unclear about what exactly is happening with his land in Waimea.
The following day, I drive around with a photographer to take pictures of the town and Benioff’s projects. We go to the property he described as a community center and are confronted by one of his employees. The photographer explains we’re there to take photos of the outside of the building. Shortly afterward, I get a text from Benioff. His employee seemed to think we were “snooping,” and he says he’s escalating the incident to NPR CEO John Lansing. Lansing confirmed he spoke with Benioff, without going into detail — the NPR newsroom operates independently, and the CEO is not involved in editorial decision-making. Benioff didn’t respond to my question about the purpose of this call.
The real story is the stupid shit he pulled by trying to bully and intimidate a reporter and a news organization.
During that call, he also mentioned he knew the exact area where I was staying. Unnerved, I asked how he knew, and he said, “It’s my job. You have a job and I have a job.”
So the tech CEO’s job is… checks notes …spying on journalists?
His job is trying to sound all tough and intimidating yet achieving nothing except making himself look even more pathetic.
He’s buying farmland. Billionares are preparing to profit from the coming climate apocalypse by buying land and water. Marc Benioff isnt the only one. Hawaii is a great idea, niiiice and defensible. the future is gonna be fucking exciting folks, i cannot begin to tell you how terrified i am that we wont kill these fucking punks in time to save ourselves
I think it’s kinda crazy that him and zuck chose Hawaii for their doomsday bunker, especially considering they chose the same small island.
Hawaii may be defensible now, but climate change is going to make it a whole lot harder. Microenvironments like small islands are prone to systemic collapse when exposed to rapid changes.
I just don’t really see how the benefits of isolation really overcome the negative effects of climate change will surely bring.
It’s not safe from drones, bombers, and naval bombardment.
What makes you think they don’t/won’t have anti-aircraft and anti missile defences? I’m pretty sure they don’t plan on going down peacefully…
Then you just do that to their supply ships off island.
One day Hawaii might become the next Taiwan.
Edit to add: By the lack of downvotes, I must not have been clear. I meant that, after the revolution, the surviving capitalist class would retreat to a “USA” consisting of only Hawaii. Much like the Republic of China now consists of only Taiwan.
There are people far dumber than him that have already figured out that retreating to your own island in times of global crisis is a momumentally stupid idea.
Are all of the properties connected? When Bill Gates built his house he used a bunch of shell companies to buy up all the lots that became his estate, so that the owners didn’t realize there was a big project planned there by the richest man in the world and demand higher prices.
Zuck did the same on Kauai
Unlimited money and still pulling shenanigans so that they don’t have to pay it to other people.
What’s worse is he bought the land that native Hawaiians got as their birthright, but said native Hawaiians were poor and desperate, so they sold it to him. They didn’t know that they were selling to one of the richest people on the planet who could afford to pay them more. I don’t think Zuck is well liked by the locals out there.
Fuckerberg isn’t liked by anyone.
They got wealthy by making smart decisions like these. They’re not trying to avoid paying a fair price, they’re trying to make sure they don’t get gouged when the buyers realize how deep their pockets are. I would challenge you to consider whether your statement was made with reason, or with a learned hate for those wealthier than you.
They got wealthy by having enormous incomes from their very luck-based positions in life, and continually exploiting people around them. Sure, they made some smart decisions along the way, but smart decisions alone don’t make a billionaire, and billionaires make stupid decisions all the time. Let’s not pretend they’re worth a hundred billion times more than everyone else because they’re a hundred billion times smarter. They’re greedier, less ethical, and often criminally malicious.
That is some serious cuckery right there. Why in the fuck would you want the world to be owned by people who can never be held responsible for who they destroy? They’re not going to love you. Ever.
The only reasonable way to deal with them is tax everything over $500 Million at 100%. NO individual should EVER have this much power.
They’re not trying to avoid paying a fair price
Bullshit
It’s from Walt Disney and their Disney World playbook.
So this guy is going full Bond villain and no one but this reporter is calling him on it, got it.
And he’s trying to intimidate the reporter by threatening her family and her job.
Gee, way to not act suspicious. Guess he is all in on intimidation as a means of control.
Just what the people of Hawaii need, another rich person snatching up precious land on an island that already has a high cost of living.
CEO is not involved in editorial decision-making
Heh, I love it when a rich idiot gets shut down by some good ol’ journalistic ethics. “No, you are not special, Mr. Benioff.”
Shout out to that NPR reporter for not being intimidated
Volcano lair, obviously.
To store barrels of other countries’ toxic waste, obviously.
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Why would Hawaii be safe?
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Islands generally are not good places to be during climate change or resource shortages
Yup, every time I watch a zombie movie or series I always think how nice it must be for those on an island out in the middle of nowhere.
Yeah, that’s my thinking as well. All these billionaires seem to be becoming doomsday preppers (Zuck, Altman, etc).
After reading about “effective accelerationism,” which many of these people seem to subscribe to, I think they’re worried “technocapitalism” and AI will cause a collapse of society. I.e. they’re purposely funding and promoting projects they think will cause a societal collapse. It’s a really wierd cult-like ideology and worldview. I think they’ve fallen for their own grifts.
But yeah, I’m personally more worried about the destruction of U.S. institutions (which Trump and Republicans publicly admit they plan to do), and the potential social unrest, federal-state conflict, and economic havoc it may cause.
Man is he the reason Salesforce has a weird “Hawaiian” theme in their offices.
He is probably just jealous of Larry Ellison
Or Jeffrey Epstein.
Wrong ocean
Or Zuckerberg.
Rich people just doing what they always done. Kick indigenous peoples off their land and give them STDs.
You had me until STDs
Doomsday bunker, there, I solved it!
Yeah. I mean, if I had the money I’d build a retreat there too. Like a big one. Good transport, reliable commerce, great weather. The only down side is it’s expensive. But if I’m a billionaire what do I care how much a banana costs?
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