A lawsuit filed in Delaware bankruptcy court has shed light on an audacious plan by Gabe Bankman-Fried, the younger brother of Sam Bankman-Fried, who was a top lobbyist for the now-defunct crypto exchange FTX. According to the suit filed by attorneys from Sullivan & Cromwell, Gabe Bankman-Fried considered purchasing the island nation of Nauru in the Pacific to establish a fortified apocalypse bunker state. The idea was to safeguard his philanthropic allies and create a genetically enhanced human species in the event of a catastrophe that would lead to a significant loss of life.
Tech Billionaires’ Fascination with Bunkers and Pacific Properties
Bunker life has become a well-documented fixation among tech billionaires, particularly those who identify as doomsday preppers. Many people are also fascinated by the idea of purchasing large estates or even small islands in the Pacific. During his tenure at FTX, Gabe Bankman-Fried, following a philanthropic lifestyle called effective altruism, established the philanthropic arm of the exchange with the intention of maximizing income to benefit humanity through charitable donations.
Gabe Bankman-Fried’s Philanthropic Pursuits and Connection to Nauru
Gabe Bankman-Fried, as FTX’s most visible presence in Washington, D.C., actively participated in making bipartisan charitable donations totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Along with an unnamed philanthropic officer of FTX, he contemplated purchasing Nauru to foster “sensible regulation around human genetic enhancement” and establish a lab on the island. However, a representative for Nauru has confirmed that the island nation has never been for sale.
Nauru as a Haven and Possible Sovereign Country Uses
Nauru, with a population of about 12,000, is located over 2,100 miles away from Brisbane, Australia. It appears that the Bankman-Fried team sought to establish an emergency base for themselves and a select group of “effective altruists” in case of an apocalypse. Additionally, they speculated that there could be other potential uses for a sovereign country like Nauru beyond being a bunker haven. A memo exchanged between Gabe Bankman-Fried and the philanthropic advisor, as noted in the lawsuit, discussed these possibilities.
