Mark Zuckerberg wants to create 'world's best' beef

In the Idea Generation podcast broadcast at the end of June, Zuckerberg shared: "One of my projects on the farm is to try to create the highest quality beef in the world. I don't put much emphasis on the project and don't plan to sell it, but I'm very interested in genetics."

Boss Meta said he builds the best diet for the cows, even devoting part of the farm area to growing macadamia trees. Macadamia nuts are rich in nutrients, roasted and fed to cows, helping to gain weight quickly and produce quality meat. In order to stimulate the cows' appetite, Zuckerberg also let them drink beer that he brewed himself. However, for balance, he let them choose between room temperature water and cold beer.

For Zuckerberg, this hobby is part of his work philosophy. "You need to find a balance between many different things, because I think when you put too much effort into one thing, you can ruin it. You can also influence the people around you," he said.

The CEO admitted that it's hard to avoid being obsessed with work, but participating in interesting projects with interesting people can make for a more pleasant experience. "I think it's important to take time to recharge and relax, and make sure you talk to a variety of people to get a diverse perspective. If you focus too much on one problem for too long, you can exhaust your creativity," he says.

Zuckerberg is raising Wagyu and Angus cattle, which provide the most expensive beef in the world. Previously, he revealed that each cow consumes about 2,250-4,500 kg of food per year.

He has long been passionate about growing his own food. Jack Dorsey, former CEO of Twitter, once said that Zuckerberg offered him a goat he slaughtered himself, part of Zuckerberg's year-long challenge: to only eat food that he personally processed.

According to Wired, Zuckerberg started buying land on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in 2014. The land is now the Ko'olau farm, at least 9,300 hectares large and worth about 300 million USD. The farm has two villas with a gym, tennis court, several guest houses and a tunnel leading to an underground bunker, almost as large as a basketball court. In addition to Zuckerberg, billionaires Marc Benioff and Peter Thiel also bought large plots of land in Hawaii.

Zuckerberg isn't the only tech leader who loves farms. In February, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared with Forbes that he often goes to his farm in Napa, California, with his husband and son on weekends. They go on hikes in areas with no phone signal.

In an interview with Mathias Dopfner, CEO of Axel Springer, late last year, Altman said that if he were replaced by AI, he would not build a startup or other breakthrough technology project but go to the farm to work. "I have a farm, sometimes I live there and really like it," he said. Before ChatGPT took off, Altman said he spent more time there, often driving tractors and picking.