Lāna'i
(Island, Private island, Doomsday/Bunker?) | |
|---|---|
| Locations | Hawaii, USA |
| Hawaii island 98% owned by Larry Ellison | |
Lāna'i sometimes written Lanai, is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and 98% owned by Larry Ellison, cofounder and chairman of Oracle Corporation
Overview
The island has a population of 3,367. The only settlement of note is the small town of Lāna'i City. The island is 98% owned by Larry Ellison[1], cofounder and chairman of Oracle Corporation, the remaining 2% is owned by the state of Hawaii or individual homeowners.[2]
Ellison has been described as a contemporary American king on Lāna'i, owning the two hotels that provides most of the jobs, most homes, and virtually all commercial property. A provision in his rental agreement stipulates that anyone who loses a job with his company may also be evicted from their home, and many people both work for and rent from him; additionally, small enterprises' lease agreements, which could be as high as five-years previously, are now usually thirty days. According to Lānai's representative on the regional Maui County Council, Gabe Johnson, the government has limited authority over public infrastructure.[3]
History
In the pre-Contact past, Lana'i was known as the dwelling place of man-eating spirits.[4]
During the 20th century, the island was a large pineapple plantation. In 1985, Lānaʻi passed into the control of David H. Murdock upon his purchase of Castle & Cooke, then the owner of Dole. High labor and land costs led to a decline in Hawaii pineapple production in the 1980s, and Dole phased out its pineapple operations on Lānaʻi in 1992.[5]
In June 2012, Larry Ellison, then CEO of Oracle Corporation, purchased Castle & Cooke's 98% share of the island for $300 million. The state and individual homeowners own the remaining 2%, which includes the harbor and the homes where the 3,000 inhabitants live.[6] He spent an estimated $450 million to remodel his Four Seasons Resort Lanai, which reopened in 2016.
In August 2021, Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu and his family vacationed on Lāna'i.[7][8] While there, he met with Larry Ellison, a key witness in his ongoing corruption trial.[9]
References
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/28/magazine/larry-ellison-island-hawaii.html
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/us/lanai-a-hawaiian-island-faces-uncertain-future-with-new-owner.html
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-oracle-larry-ellison-lanai-hawaii-plans-tourism/?embedded-checkout=true
- ↑ https://www.mauimagazine.net/ghost-ship/
- ↑ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-04-me-553-story.html
- ↑ Shimogawa, Duane. "PBN confirms amount billionaire Larry Ellison paid for Hawaiian Island of Lanai" Pacific Business News, January 8, 2016
- ↑ https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-on-vacation-at-island-owned-by-larry-ellison-a-witness-in-graft-trial/
- ↑ https://www.thedailybeast.com/benjamin-netanyahus-ultra-luxurious-hawaii-vacation-is-a-total-legal-shitstorm/
- ↑ https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-08-30/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-met-with-key-trial-witness-while-vacationing-on-his-private-island/0000017f-f6df-d5bd-a17f-f6ffdcfb0000