Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg undertook a new project aimed at creating some of the world's highest-quality beef. But the effort has proven divisive online, producing praise, criticism, and conspiracy theories as well.
In a post to Instagram on Tuesday, Zuckerberg announced that he had begun raising cattle on his private compound on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, formally known as Ko'olau Ranch. The cattle, said to be Wagyu and Angus, according to his post, will be fed macadamia meal and beer produced on-site by Zuckerberg.
"We want the whole process to be local and vertically integrated. Each cow eats 5,000-10,000 pounds of food each year, so that's a lot of acres of macadamia trees," Zuckerberg wrote. "My daughters help plant the mac trees and take care of our different animals. We're still early in the journey and it's fun improving on it every season. Of all my projects, this is the most delicious."
Zuckerberg initially received praise for the project from his supporters, who applauded what they saw as a commendable lifestyle.
"Zuck builds, is faithful, loves his wife, plants trees, raises cattle, eats beef, has kids, seems like a great dad," one user on X said. "Absolutely unadulterated win."
"Apex men are out here being totally based," another said.
But not everyone was happy. Many social media users felt that Zuckerberg was instead flaunting his wealth.
"The absolute stones it must take [to] post 'I’m growing a macadamia orchard to feed my artisan wagyu' during an era of rising populism," an X user added. "Unparalleled flex."
Others opposed to the announcement included conspiracy theorists, who believe that the United Nations will soon force the masses to eat bugs instead of meat as part of a sinister anti-human plot.
"This is the end game btw," one user wrote. "The elites will eat quality meat amongst themselves but push vegan or bug diets on the common folk."
On the other hand, environmentalists accused Zuckerberg of contributing to climate change due to the large amounts of land and needed to raise cattle.
"Keep destroying the environment," an Instagram user said. "Raising cattle is one of the biggest causes of greenhouse gases. Such a disgusting and entitled thing to be doing."
Zuckerberg's effort appears to be in stark contrast to other billionaires such as Bill Gates, who advocates for the widespread adoption of synthetic meat to combat climate change.
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