Over the last seven years, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have purchased 1,500 acres worth of land on Hawaii’s island of Kauai. They now own more of the island than the government of Kauai itself (975 acres).
Zuckerberg and Chan spent more than $170 million buying up Kauai acreage — a land grab that has been well documented in the national media. In an attempt to ingratiate themselves to their new home after a bumpy start to their Kauai residence, the pair has also poured millions of dollars into Kauai’s various nonprofit organizations through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauai Community Fund (CZKCF).
What’s resulted is a divided community: some are genuinely appreciative of the funding, some are skeptical and begrudgingly appreciative, and others say no amount of donations make up for buying a not-insignificant portion of the island.
