Media theorist Douglas Rushkoff has revealed the secret world of tech billionaires hoarding doomsday bunkers, after attending a desert conference for the ultra-rich. Initially expecting to discuss humanity's future, he found attendees fixated on personal survival, asking whether to build bunkers in Alaska or New Zealand.
Rushkoff, author of 'Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires' (2022), describes a mindset of paranoia among billionaires convinced that 'The Event'—be it a pandemic, nuclear war, or uprising—is inevitable. He argues that their wealth-driven isolationism ignores the reality that 'successful prepping is a team sport'.
Across the US, a parallel real estate market has emerged. In Kansas, a decommissioned missile silo now houses the Survival Condo Project, offering $3 million apartments encased in nine feet of reinforced concrete. In New Zealand, Silicon Valley billionaires quietly install luxury bunkers beneath sheep paddocks, while in Texas, architects design panic rooms disguised as walk-in wardrobes.
Rushkoff notes that the super-rich have 'refused pro-social solutions all along', viewing society as a compromise. He warns that without community, even the most fortified bunker cannot guarantee survival against those left outside.
