On one Hawaiian island, paradise belongs to one man. Almost every home, business, and stretch of coastline on the island of Lāna’i is owned by billionaire tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison.
As a viral post on Reddit pointed out, Ellison owns 98% of the sixth largest island of Hawai’i, which he bought in 2012 for about $300 million. His holdings include two luxury resorts, most of the houses, and almost all of the commercial properties on the island.
“About 4,000 people live there, so their daily lives, jobs, development, and even utilities are all dependent on the decisions made by one individual,” the post reads.
Ellison co-founded the software company Oracle Corporation, of which he still owns 40% since leaving in 2014. According to Forbes, he is estimated to be worth more than $285 billion.
When Ellison purchased Lāna’i, he publicly announced plans to transform the island into a model for environmental sustainability. But that vision has drawn skepticism over the past decade. The idea of a single billionaire owning virtually the entire populated island is, for many, inherently at odds with community sustainability and resilience.
With one owner, land management decisions are completely centralized, meaning environmental and development policies depend heavily on Ellison’s business priorities rather than public or local consensus. This means that local people have a limited say in how their land and resources are used, which can set aside sustainable and community-led conservation practices.
This prioritization is clear in some of Ellison’s attempts at sustainable infrastructure for Lāna’i. Locals argue that sustainable developments – such as clean energy grids – have been implemented for luxury resorts instead of residential benefit. One of Ellison’s most high-profile projects, a $500 million hydroponic lettuce farm, has been hailed as a breakthrough in sustainable agriculture but has failed to become viable, leaving many locals questioning promises of ecological transformation.
Still, Ellison’s land and resource management company, Pūlama Lānaʻi, said it is creating opportunities in agriculture, resource management, conservation, and more on the island.
“We strive to improve and further strengthen the island’s diverse species and fragile ecosystem through game management, natural species preservation, watershed management, erosion control, coastal resource and fisheries management, invasive species control, and conservation education,” the site reads. “Pūlama Lānaʻi brings an integrated and comprehensive approach to the protection and management of Lānaʻi’s natural resources.”
Regardless of these promises, Reddit commenters remain uneasy about private ownership on such a massive scale — and what it means for democracy, community and sustainability.
“Disgusting,” wrote one commenter.
“No individual should be able to own an entire island where 4000 locals live that is part of a state,” added another commentator.
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