Billionaire snaps up a Hawaiian island

[Hum]

HONOLULU (AP) ? Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison is closing in on a purchase even lottery winners can only dream about ? 98 percent of Hawaii's pineapple island, Lanai.

Ellison hasn't said what he plans to do with the vast majority of the island's 141 square miles, but the sellers say he plans substantial investments that will create jobs and stimulate tourism to the island once owned in the 1920s by the founder of Dole Foods Co.

Attempts to reach Ellison through Oracle after business hours Wednesday were not successful. Ellison's involvement in the deal was publicly announced by Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

With nearly 50 miles of coastline, two resorts and zero traffic lights, Lanai boasts plenty of unspoiled charm. Tourism officials tout the luxury at its Four Seasons hotels and rugged rural areas that can only be reached by vehicles with 4-wheel drive.

If all goes as planned, most of the island that is home to 3,200 residents and near Maui will be owned by Ellison ? the world's sixth-richest billionaire, according to Forbes.

The outspoken Silicon Valley software magnate is known to race sailboats and make occasional unusual purchases.

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[Phouchg]

Ellison and whole Oracle enterprise must die in a fiery death, preferably by sudden close exposure to a magnetar of your choice, but an accidental nuclear explosion will do, if that happens to be unavailable.

[Alladaskill17]

Ellison and whole Oracle enterprise must die in a fiery death, preferably by sudden close exposure to a magnetar of your choice, but an accidental nuclear explosion will do, if that happens to be unavailable.

Nope. Not while my dad still works there, unless of course you mean the offices - because he works from home ;)

[ANON86364]

A CEO to a company like Oracle is the last I would expect to be able to do something so frivolous. Let's be honest, buying a Hawaiian island is not an investment.

[farmeunit]

A CEO to a company like Oracle is the last I would expect to be able to do something so frivolous. Let's be honest, buying a Hawaiian island is not an investment.

It does have two resorts and he's trying to stimulate job growth and tourism. How is that not an investment?

[Phouchg]

You sound like a jealous individual that failed in life as a fast food worker.

I have to admit, not far from truth. Regrettably...

[Hum]

Lanai boasts plenty of unspoiled charm.

Doesn't sound like it will be unspoiled much longer.

[Knife Party]

so he's buying chunks of islands for investment purposes; aka destroying the local way of living, destroying natural beauty. plants and natural animal habitats for what? He's building housing projects, hotels, urbanised mode of development. Yeh, I'm sure some of the locals who love their country and still consider the tourism for income to keeping Hawaii natural and free from development argument will kick up a storm over this. This is absolutely, the clearest example of what a Convoluted Capitalist mentality gets you. (He thinks: Let me bring my money making ways from Silicone valley and come here thinking I know how things should be done on this island just because their law says I can, and because I have stupid amounts of ill gotten earned wealth to waste on a land project, which will help only those who choose to invest into his investment project, the locals and environment loses all the way. They get nothing, less than nothing, they get excluded and alienation/bombarded by annoying American culture. All promise, all reward, the catch? You live the dream, for some reason now all the local native Hawaiin's are looking at a bunch of investor foreigners who will destroy their way of living and cultural norms tied to that land.....

By all means, great job to all of us, giving another corporate/ bilionnaire psychosocial maniac a chance to 'give back to the people of Hawaii, successfully ensuring that this land he buys will be used to the advantage of the Hawaii'n people. Locals jobs, a better standard of living, providing an education, healthcare and a brighter future for the people of Lanai is in store, oh yes... at the expense of your people and island, its kinda going to be sucked into a twisted western culture of 'GIMME GIMME GIMME, I NEED MOAR MONEYZ< YES BILLIONZ

:D

[Lucas]

You seriously shouldn't be allowed to buy islands IMO.

[episode]

You seriously shouldn't be allowed to buy islands IMO.

So then by extension, you shouldn't be able to buy land either?

[t_r_nelson]

so he's buying chunks of islands for investment purposes; aka destroying the local way of living, destroying natural beauty. plants and natural animal habitats for what? He's building housing projects, hotels, urbanised mode of development. Yeh, I'm sure some of the locals who love their country and still consider the tourism for income to keeping Hawaii natural and free from development argument will kick up a storm over this. This is absolutely, the clearest example of what a Convoluted Capitalist mentality gets you. (He thinks: Let me bring my money making ways from Silicone valley and come here thinking I know how things should be done on this island just because their law says I can, and because I have stupid amounts of ill gotten earned wealth to waste on a land project, which will help only those who choose to invest into his investment project, the locals and environment loses all the way. They get nothing, less than nothing, they get excluded and alienation/bombarded by annoying American culture. All promise, all reward, the catch? You live the dream, for some reason now all the local native Hawaiin's are looking at a bunch of investor foreigners who will destroy their way of living and cultural norms tied to that land.....

By all means, great job to all of us, giving another corporate/ bilionnaire psychosocial maniac a chance to 'give back to the people of Hawaii, successfully ensuring that this land he buys will be used to the advantage of the Hawaii'n people. Locals jobs, a better standard of living, providing an education, healthcare and a brighter future for the people of Lanai is in store, oh yes... at the expense of your people and island, its kinda going to be sucked into a twisted western culture of 'GIMME GIMME GIMME, I NEED MOAR MONEYZ< YES BILLIONZ

:D

You may want to do a little research on the island before you start ranting. There are just over 3,000 people on an island of 140 square miles. It was turned into a pineapple plantation way back in the 1920s (Dole), so the commercialization of the island has already been done. Before that, it was a ranch and then a sugar plantation. That would have also pushed out a lot of the native species that you are so concerned about. The pineapple plantation was phased out back in 1993. It already has two resorts and two golf courses on it.

This island has been re-purposed many times before Ellison was involved. Lanai is actually pushing tourism (I've been scuba diving there before). Give him a chance before you condemn him.

[Hum]

It's small wonder native Hawaiians want to secede.

[Growled Member]

I hope he has better luck running islands than he does suing Google.