You know things are really about to turn sour when the Silicon Valley elite, the masters of our modern universe, are taking out the ultimate life insurance policy – a war bunker in New Zealand.
Yes, the country famous for Frodo Baggins, Flight of the Conchords and countless sheep is now the destination for the worried 1%.
Secret codeword
“New Zealand” has become a code-word for apocalypse-preparedness in the Valley, according to Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn.
“Saying you’re ‘buying a house in New Zealand’ is kind of a ‘wink, wink’, say no more” he told The New Yorker magazine.
Peter Thiel, co-founder of Paypal, has already bought a bolthole there, spending $10m (USD) on the ultimate executive box to watch armageddon from afar. Trump-loving, German-born Thiel, bagged Kiwi citizenship through the deal, telling the world:
“I am happy to say categorically that I have found no other country that aligns more with my view of the future than New Zealand.”
As ever, the tech elite were the early adopters and now the rest of the elite are following suit.
Hedge fund managers are buying airstrips and hundred acre farms. And it’s not just the Americans, even Jack Ma, founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, is on the lookout for a base there, after 20 of his colleagues snapped up properties.
Alternatives for the 99%?
Don’t worry, if a $10m estate in New Zealand is out of your reach there are more affordable options to escape the apocalypse.
Thankfully, the global have elite have shared their top tips from inside closed Facebook groups. These escape strategies include “keeping a set of bags packed at all times”, “archery lessons” and “stockpiling bitcoin”.
So pack your bags, get your bow and arrow out and buy some digital currency. What could possibly go wrong?
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