This chapter reveals the secretive purchase of $800 million worth of farmland in Northern California by Flannery Associates, backed by Silicon Valley investors. It discusses the motivation behind building a new city and explores the concept of building cities under the sea or on the sea. The chapter also touches on challenges, controversies, and potential lawsuits involved in building cities.
Wall Street Journal columnist Joanna Stern is Kara's co-host as Scott-free August comes to an end. They explore how Trump's mugshot is spawning merch from the right and the left, and what to expect from the upcoming iPhone 15. Then, Joanna's investigation into the best EVs on the market and why a group of Silicon Valley elite is buying up land in northern California. Our Friend of Pivot is Professor Peter Turchin, author of "End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration." He explains why the U.S. is in a state of social upheaval and sees a few paths that could get us out of it.
You can follow Joanna at @JoannaStern and read her column at WSJ.com.
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