The Latest Hobby Of The Absurdly Rich Is Doomsday Prepping; Could You Survive Like A Billionaire?

Some of the world's wealthiest people have started getting ready for the end of the world. For some it's serious business. For others it's a fun pastime. But would you be as ready for the apocalypse as these billionaires?

Amy Sharpe
Created by Amy Sharpe
On Jan 26, 2017
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Doomsday preppers have long been seen as an eccentric group of outliers in society, crazy old hill folk with shotguns out in the woods. But currently it is estimated that more than half of all billionaires in Silicon Valley have an emergency plan in place that involves either a bunker, a second home, or a vacation spot in the event of a catastrophe. Many are buying property in New Zealand, which many see as prime apocalypse real estate. One such billionaire, former Facebook product manager Antonio García Martínez, has purchased wooded land in the Pacific Northwest stocked with ammo, generators, and solar panels.

You just need so many things to actually ride out the apocalypse. I think people who are particularly attuned to the levers by which society actually works understand that we are skating on really thin cultural ice right now.

Antonio García Martínez

CNBC, January 26, 2017

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Another such billionaire, Steve Huffman, the co-founder and CEO of Reddit, has gotten Lasik eye surgery in addition to building a well-stocked bunker in the event of an emergency.

If the world ends — and not even if the world ends, but if we have trouble — getting contacts or glasses is going to be a huge pain in the ass. Without them, I'm fucked.

Steve Huffman

CNBC, January 26, 2017

www.afr.com

However, for many of these doomsday-prepping billionaires, it's more of a hobby than an actual concern. According to Tim Chang, managing director at venture-capital firm Mayfield Fund, there's a lot of mutual fear, but it's also kind of nice to talk with others and discuss strategies.

There's a bunch of us in the Valley. We meet up and have these financial-hacking dinners and talk about back-up plans people are doing. It runs the gamut from a lot of people stocking up on Bitcoin... to figuring out how to get second passports...

Tim Chang

CNBC, January 26, 2017

mobilehealth.org

But now, we want to know...

Could You Survive The Apocalypse Like A Billionaire?

Now, tell us how you did!

Did you survive our apocalypse quiz?

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Any other thoughts? Talk to us about them in the comments below, and share with your friends to see what they think!

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