Marc Benioff, billionaire leftist and CEO of Salesforce, has been secretly buying up land in Hawaii through anonymous LLCs. But when a journalist started investigating, Benioff reportedly began tracking her movements and personal details.
SFGate reports that NPR journalist Dara Kerr was intrigued when she heard rumors that tech billionaire Marc Benioff was mysteriously acquiring land in the small Hawaiian town of Waimea. Kerr, whose grandmother grew up in Hawaii, started digging deeper during a November visit. Kerr discovered Benioff had anonymously purchased 22 separate parcels of land in Waimea since 2020.
The properties were acquired through mysterious limited liability companies (LLCs) all traced back to a single mailing address and agent in Palo Alto. Although his name never appeared on any documentation, Benioff did not dispute his involvement when confronted.
When Benioff caught wind of Kerr’s ongoing investigation, he reached out through a colleague asking for an interview with the reporter. Kerr agreed to a video call in December, after which Benioff bombarded her with constant texts touting his supposed philanthropy, “which has almost all been anonymous.”
In January, Kerr met with Benioff for an in-person interview in Hawaii to discuss the land purchases. But first, Benioff again contacted Kerr’s colleague demanding inside information on her reporting. He then called Kerr directly and insisted on knowing her article’s title. During that call, he alarmed Kerr by revealing he knew precisely where she was staying in Hawaii at that time. When she asked how he knew, Benioff replied, “It’s my job. You have a job and I have a job.”
During the actual interview, the billionaire deflected many of Kerr’s questions, continually steering the conversation toward his claimed charitable acts in Hawaii. But when Kerr pressed him on details about the 22 anonymous LLCs used to buy Waimea properties, Benioff became evasive, with Kerr stating that “thinks seem to take a turn” as the billionaire “starts speaking more quickly and fidgets with a piece of paper in his hand.”
Kerr left the interview feeling “disconcerted and still unclear about what exactly is happening with his land in Waimea.” Benioff’s interference continued even after the unnerving encounter. He personally called NPR CEO John Lansing to discuss Kerr’s reporting in Hawaii.
Kerr seems to have figured out who is buying up small town land in Hawaii, but not why Benioff is taking action. Perhaps he plans to build a doomsday bunker just like Mark Zuckerberg’s.
Read more at SFGate here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.