
The Super Rich of Silicon Valley Have a Doomsday Escape Plan - pinewurst
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2018-rich-new-zealand-doomsday-preppers/?srnd=technology-vp
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dsfyu404ed
>“It’s become one of the places for people in Silicon Valley, mostly because
it’s not like Silicon Valley at all,”

Well folks, the writing is on the wall. Ask Denver and Austin what happened
when people from CA figured out that their place was a nice place. I hope the
kiwis enjoy it while it lasts. I'm only half joking here.

The article was a fun, if crazy, read. I guess the super-wealthy of silicon
valley haven't figured out that survival when things get bad is heavily
correlated with your social capital, something they don't seem to have much
of. Being holed up in a bunker with a bunch of gold bars and guns won't help
you if everyone outside hates you.

~~~
rhacker
> Well folks, the writing is on the wall. Ask Denver and Austin what happened
> when people from CA figured out that their place was a nice place.

I see CA license plates everywhere with an accompanying Uhaul. CityData and
bloggers are REALLY screwing up this country.

A plea to any CA'ers about to move. SLOW YOUR DRIVING DOWN AND FIT IN - DONT
BRING CA ATTITUDE WITH YOU. (it was hard to write that without expletives)

~~~
Johnny555
Where do you think most of the people in the Bay Area came from in the first
place? There are few natives here.

~~~
rhacker
Mostly? Large cities, East coast. I don't think you can explain the population
explosions in some of the towns I come across as people moving back home.
We're getting second move effects at this point.

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itronitron
I am looking forward to the Netflix series, the trip to the Nevada airfield
and ensuing drama of who makes it onto the plane would be enough for one full
season.

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ordinaryradical
Here’s another way to read this: to theorize about these hypothetical
scenarios and how to escape is a way of displacing the fear and sense of
responsibility that goes with the rampant inequality they have succeeded by. A
nano machine uprising carries a lot less responsibility than an economy
exorbitantly tilted toward a lucky few.

~~~
gnusci
Here "another way to read this: to theorize about these hypothetical scenarios
and how to escape", then open business for rich people that will always feel
fear from the poor people. Even if it is just poor people. Then you will make
money!!!

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AlimJaffer
The part I find particularly sad is that the elite referenced in the article
are very clearly self-aware that the issue is a Bastille day or some
revolution against the 1% (realistically 0.01%) which is feeding their
paranoia.

Rather than work to better society and contribute, they instead focus on their
bug out plans and lobbying politicians to cut taxes further when they could
avoid this by focusing on the extreme wealth inequality that makes these
paranoid fantasies (that's what they really are) a reality.

~~~
luckydata
the upside is if they are right a lot of the right heads will roll.

~~~
pintxo
And a lot of the wrong ones as well. Mobs are not good at justice as history
tells us.

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chrissnell
I laughed when I saw the guns in the bag and on the moped. SV rich people, do
you know how to aim and fire those weapons? Can you reload them? Clear a
malfunction? Clean them? Can you quarter and clean the animal that you kill?
Can you preserve the meat? Well, you might be able to or you might not...but
rural people can.

Guns, like seeds and so many other survival items, are only useful if you know
how to use them. Having a bodyguard that knows how to use guns isn't a
solution, either. A bodyguard with a gun--in apocalyptic times--is your new
boss.

Rich people would be better off hoarding ammunition, not G550s.

I've said this here before, but ammunition is the ultimate doomsday currency.
It doesn't go bad and can be stored (properly) for decades. It can be traded.
It can get you food by killing animals or taking it from those who have it.
Ammo can be reloaded but not with gunpowder, so you will need to have a big
supply of it or be able to trade something of value for it.

~~~
LyndsySimon
> Ammo can be reloaded but not with gunpowder

Primers are a much bigger problem.

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jessaustin
_...a bunker on the northern tip of the South Island that would accommodate
about 300 people. The price: $35,000 a head.

That’s a bargain compared with the most expensive bunker Lynch’s Rising S has
shipped to New Zealand — $8 million._

Back on earth, $10.5M > $8M.

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VectorLock
Can we fake an apocalypse to get them to go away?

~~~
DonHopkins
PKD wrote The Penultimate Truth about that.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Penultimate_Truth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Penultimate_Truth)

Unfortunately the wall won't stop the super rich from returning from Burning
Man in their corporate jets.

[http://megagogo.co/](http://megagogo.co/)

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Hemospectrum
I upvoted this for the slick hypercomic intro before the article body, and now
I’m going back to read the rest of the article. While reading it I might
decide it’s a crappy article, but it still has a neat intro, and other people
seeing it and writing better articles (possibly including myself in this,
someday) might be inspired by it to make more neat intros. I have to remind
myself all the time that doing something in isolation is not much different
from doing nothing at all, and therefore, presentation is important.

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aidos
Kiwi's weren't massively impressed by Peter Thiel buying his way in to NZ (and
I doubt it would have happened if the current government were in power at the
time).

[https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&...](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11883554)

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gambler
Why do most articles from Bloomberg that make it to the front page of HN are
about "the rich" somehow screwing over "the people"? Like, that's the only
kind I see here.

Regardless, the article is BS clickbait. Just because two rich idiots bought
bunkers in New Zealand doesn't mean everyone who has property there is
preparing for some doomsday scenario.

 _> "He has a go bag stuffed with a gun, antibiotics, batteries, water,
blankets, a tent and gas masks."_

Rich people stockpile batteries! _Surely_ they they are planning for a world-
wide proletariat uprising or bio-warfare Armageddon.

~~~
nostrademons
It plays very well with "the people".

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purplezooey
The super rich have always had a good plan. Sell a basket of social goods and
grant all of our tax money to themselves. Disenfranchise enough voters and
gerrymander the crap out of the country so they stay in power regardless. This
has been the plan for 40 years.

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oh_sigh
If SHTF, will the infrastructure be available for 6000+ mile flights?

~~~
VectorLock
If you're gassed up and ready to go I guess you just take off right?

~~~
oh_sigh
Assuming aviation fuel is available, and the runways are in working order, the
USG hasn't shut down all flights, and you can actually get to your plane, then
sure. But I don't think those are all a given if there is really a situation
in America where people literally need to flee the country at a moments
notice.

~~~
jessaustin
Do they really think the Kiwis don't have anti-aircraft guns? If USA goes to
shit, none of us will be welcome there. Also as you hinted fairly few private
planes are capable of that journey nonstop.

~~~
VectorLock
Are they going to shoot down a plane full of refugee billionaires?

~~~
Johnny555
If the shit really hit the fan, are they still billionaires? Or rather, does
billionaire status still mean anything?

~~~
VectorLock
Would gold still have value? Would bullets be the new gold?

~~~
jessaustin
Refugees are easily separated from gold. 'Twere ever thus.

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sigfubar
I'm not super rich, but I have a doomsday plan too: guns and lots of ammo.
Bring it on, baby!

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dmm
What does SHTF really look like? An invading army? Some sort of nuclear
exchange? Everyone losing their jobs and hyperinflation over the course of
weeks/months?

What are some examples from history? The Japanese invasion of Manchuria? The
great depression and WWII? Venezuela today?

Is the real story the psychological purpose these preparations serve? Is this
a sort of Revelation of Saint John for atheists? A story of doom where some
are saved to provide a sense of control in an increasing incomprehensible
world?

~~~
Johnny555
I think this counts:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death)

 _The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30–60% of Europe 's total
population. In total, the plague may have reduced the world population from an
estimated 450 million down to 350–375 million in the 14th century. It took 200
years for the world population to recover to its previous level._

A modern pandemic would spread much faster due to modern transportation, and
while modern medical science would help at first, medical services would
quickly become overwhelmed. If critical infrastructure starts failing due to
lack of workers (either they are sick or staying home to take care of family
or avoid the illness), then things will get much worse very quickly.

Assuming you escape infection, having a secure isolated bunker with a couple
years of food may actually help you survive.

