Мастриды

Абсолютный мастрид от New Yorker о том, как американские миллионеры из Кремниевой долины готовятся к пост-апокалипсису в стиле "Безумного Макса". Например, гендиректор Reddit рассказывает про свои мотоциклы, запасы воды и боеприпасов, бывший топ-менеджер Фейсбука - о том, зачем он купил себе остров и как он координирует действия с другими богачами, готовящимися к концу света. Некоторые из героев репортажа специально сделали себе лазерную коррекцию зрения, чтобы увеличить шансы выживания в мире без цивилизации, другие покупают фермы на Новой Зеландии, третьи строят роскошные противоядерные бункеры. И это вовсе не прихоть нескольких фриков, а уже практически мейнстрим:

"I asked Hoffman to estimate what share of fellow Silicon Valley billionaires have acquired some level of “apocalypse insurance,” in the form of a hideaway in the U.S. or abroad. “I would guess fifty-plus per cent,” he said, “but that’s parallel with the decision to buy a vacation home. Human motivation is complex, and I think people can say, ‘I now have a safety blanket for this thing that scares me.’ ” The fears vary, but many worry that, as artificial intelligence takes away a growing share of jobs, there will be a backlash against Silicon Valley, America’s second-highest concentration of wealth. (Southwestern Connecticut is first.) “I’ve heard this theme from a bunch of people,” Hoffman said. “Is the country going to turn against the wealthy? Is it going to turn against technological innovation? Is it going to turn into civil disorder?”

The C.E.O. of another large tech company told me, “It’s still not at the point where industry insiders would turn to each other with a straight face and ask what their plans are for some apocalyptic event.” He went on, “But, having said that, I actually think it’s logically rational and appropriately conservative.” He noted the vulnerabilities exposed by the Russian cyberattack on the Democratic National Committee, and also by a large-scale hack on October 21st, which disrupted the Internet in North America and Western Europe. “Our food supply is dependent on G.P.S., logistics, and weather forecasting,” he said, “and those systems are generally dependent on the Internet, and the Internet is dependent on D.N.S.”—the system that manages domain names. “Go risk factor by risk factor by risk factor, acknowledging that there are many you don’t even know about, and you ask, ‘What’s the chance of this breaking in the next decade?’ Or invert it: ‘What’s the chance that nothing breaks in fifty years?’

newyorker.com/magazine/2017/01/30/doomsday-prep-for-the-super-rich

The New Yorker

Survival of the Richest

Some of the wealthiest people in America—in Silicon Valley, New York, and beyond—are getting ready for the crackup of civilization.

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