He may be a jiu-jitsu–practicing MMA enthusiast who can balance on a surfboard with one leg, but when it comes to protection, Mark Zuckerberg invests far more in personal security than most would consider necessary. Yes, he can spar with two of the world’s best MMA fighters on a floating barge in the middle of Lake Tahoe, yet he prefers to spend a staggering $27 million ensuring his safety (up from $24 million the previous year). Among all the tech giants, Meta shoulders the highest personal security bill for its CEO and his family, covering protection at their residences as well as during travel.
This is where other billionaires differ. According to a Financial Times report, Elon Musk (Tesla disclosed it spent just $500,000) and Jeff Bezos (continued to receive $1.6 million annually ), for instance, pay significant sums for their protection, but these expenses are separate from the figures publicly disclosed by their companies. Still, the 40-year-old tycoon, currently the third richest man in the world, seems to own more than those with even greater fortunes. From hundreds of acres of land in Hawaii to his magnificent $110 million estate in Palo Alto, along with several other properties and a fleet of superyachts, Zuckerberg inevitably draws both envy and criticism.
The rise in his travels since acquiring the $300 million superyacht Launchpad and its shadow vessel $30 million Wingman, has likely only heightened security needs. And with protests targeting the Meta boss even in remote corners of Norway, such as Svalbard, it becomes easier to understand why his vacations require such heavy protection. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, has been paying around $1.6 million toward security each year since at least 2010. LaSorsa Security & Associates, which, according to Fortune, provides security services to Bezos, has installed 1.5-inch-thick bulletproof panels in Amazon’s Seattle head office in early 2019.
Firms like Hamilton Security, founded by former FBI agent James Hamilton, and Gavin de Becker & Associates provide services such as 24/7 personal protective details, secure transportation, cybersecurity, anti-stalking measures, and defense against digital threats to the tech tycoons who dominate the Forbes Rich List.
With so many people eyeing their lives regularly, every move mapped and every vacation documented, their need for protection becomes obvious. Zuckerberg’s protection bill is nearly 17 times higher than Jeff Bezos’s, even though Bezos, too, has faced threats, including protests at his lavish Venetian wedding.
