“The Rich Are Already Starting to Flee”: What Are the Survival Strategies of the Wealthy as They Anticipate the End of the World?

Why Are the World’s Wealthy Beginning to “Escape”?

“Today’s ultra-wealthy—the billionaires—are already anticipating the collapse of the Earth and society and have begun to flee.”

If you heard that, would you think it was some kind of urban legend?

However, this may not be fiction at all.
From the surge in sales of underground shelters in New Zealand to Elon Musk’s Mars colonization plan (SpaceX), and even the diversion of assets into cryptocurrencies and private islands, a clear common thread emerges when observing the behavior of the wealthy.

They no longer feel much sense of belonging to any nation or society and are steadily advancing individual survival plans based on the premise of “the end of the world.”

In this article, I would like to examine and explain why today’s wealthy are fleeing, how digital capitalism is destroying society, and what kind of future awaits the rest of us.

1. The Crucial Difference Between the “Rulers” of the 20th and 21st Centuries

First, we must understand that the nature of the “wealthy (ruling class)” has fundamentally changed over time.
The 20th-century wealthy and the 21st-century wealthy have completely different stances toward society.

20th-Century Rulers: Social Responsibility and Loyalty to the Nation

The 20th-century ruling class—politicians, heads of major corporations, and traditional business dynasties—maintained large families and clans and were deeply connected to their local communities and the nation.
They held a strong sense of “owning and protecting the people and their employees,” and no matter how greedy they might be, they were bound by a sense of social responsibility and ethics (noblesse oblige).

21st-Century Rulers: “Hyper-Individualism” Unbound by the State

In contrast, the 21st-century wealthy—represented by Big Tech founders and owners of massive hedge funds—are fundamentally different in nature.

• Ultra-Small Family Structures
  Whether single or choosing not to acknowledge their children, the bonds of blood and family are weak.
• Lack of Social Consciousness
  They have no concept of “making the country better”; their own interests and survival take top priority.
• Unparalleled Mobility
  For the sake of tax savings or safety, they are willing to abandon their country of residence or nationality at any time and relocate immediately.

It can be said that today’s wealthy do not feel a sense of social responsibility, so they do not care what happens to the world.
When society begins to fall apart, their focus is not on “rebuilding society,” but on “how to ensure their own safe survival.”

2. The Mechanism by Which Digital Capitalism Quietly Destroys Society

One of the reasons the world has become so distorted that the wealthy feel compelled to flee is the “acceleration of digital capitalism.”
Behind the “convenience” we experience in our daily lives, the very foundations of society are being rapidly eroded.

What Is Lost in Exchange for “Convenience”

For example, consider the shift from traditional retail stores to “giant supermarkets like Walmart,” and then to “e-commerce sites such as Amazon.”
While consumer convenience has improved dramatically, this has come at the cost of the following structural disruptions.

• The Decline of Local Shopping Districts and the Breakdown of Local Communities
• The Loss of Local Jobs and the Rise of Non-Regular Employment
• The Decline of Culture and Journalism Rooted in Local Communities

Some have pointed out that Amazon’s rise has led to approximately 76,000 job losses per year in the United States.
Furthermore, as AI and the full automation of logistics warehouses advance, a “corporate structure that employs no humans at all” is taking shape.
What awaits us at the end of this pursuit of efficiency and convenience is the disappearance of the middle class and extreme wealth inequality.

3. Preparations for the “End of the World” Sought by the Ultra-Wealthy

The wealthy are coldly calculating the societal collapse brought about by digital capitalism, as well as other risks (such as war, climate change, pandemics, and runaway AI).
For them, the “end of the world” is an inevitable course of events—even if it remains unclear what will trigger it.

The Truth Behind Mars Colonization and Underground Shelters

The Mars colonization plan led by Elon Musk, while presented under the noble banner of “humanity’s dream,” can also be interpreted as an effort to secure a refuge (a “lifeboat”) for the wealthy to survive should Earth be destroyed.
Similarly, the massive “underground shelters” being built in sparsely populated areas of New Zealand and the United States are equipped with decades’ worth of food, independent power generation systems, and advanced air purification systems.
They are seriously preparing for “a world after the collapse of civilization.”

4. The World After Civilization Collapses: The Limits of Surviving Alone and the Future 100 Years From Now

However, even if one were to hole up in a shelter and weather the end of the world, that does not guarantee a bright future ahead.
Regarding the world after civilization collapses, the following realistic challenges emerge.

The legacy of civilization will rapidly deteriorate

• Limitations of Medicines
  Stored medications will expire within a few years, and advanced medical technologies will be lost.
• Infrastructure Failure
  The internet and power grids will go down within a few days, and even with knowledge from books, it will be impossible for a single person to reproduce the necessary know-how.
• Psychological Limitations
  Overwhelming loneliness and despair pose a risk of increased suicide rates within shelters.

The Emergence of a “Generation That Knows Only How to Consume”

To sustain civilization, survivors have no choice but to share knowledge and cooperate with one another.
However, about 50 years after the cataclysm, the first generation—who possessed the technologies and knowledge of the past—will pass away.
The second generation left behind will be a “generation that knows only how to consume the benefits of advanced technology.”
As a result, analyses suggest that civilization will likely come to a complete end within 100 years, and humanity will either revert to a primitive way of life or face extinction.

5. The Rise of Big Tech (GAFA) Transcending National Borders and the Approach of a “World Government”

Occurring in parallel with the exodus of the wealthy are the “weakening of nation-states” and the “growing power of giant IT companies.”

A Future Where GAFA Surpasses Nations

For example, the concept of “basic income” (a guaranteed minimum income for all citizens) proposed by giant corporations like Amazon may seem like a charitable endeavor at first glance.
However, its true nature could easily become a structure where “other companies and nations are made to foot the bill, while the company itself reigns as the infrastructure of that economic sphere.”
As entrepreneur Takafumi Horie stated, “Allowing GAFA to spend money will drive innovation and research more effectively than forcing the state to collect taxes,” the perception that “corporations can solve problems better than the state” is becoming increasingly widespread in modern society.
This effectively means that private companies are beginning to wield influence akin to a “world government” that transcends the nation-state.

6. How Should We, the General Public (the Majority), Live?

Now that the wealthy have fled to the next phase and the functions of the state are weakening, what reality are we, the general public, facing?

The Reality Unfolding Behind “Convenience”

• The Battle for Jobs
  AI and automation will render many jobs—including white-collar positions—obsolete.
• Increasing Isolation
  The breakdown of local communities will lead to the disappearance of support networks.
• Loss of Options
  Lacking the financial means to build their own shelters or flee to other countries, people will be left behind in a crumbling society.

Even as we enjoy “affordable and convenient services through our smartphone screens,” the social systems right beneath our feet are quietly crumbling.
The unsettling trends among the wealthy may not be mere gossip, but rather a clear warning that “the lifespan of our society is drawing to a close.”

Summary: The Behavior of the Wealthy Is a “Warning from the Future”

Let’s recap the key points of this analysis.

1. The wealthy of the 21st century lack a sense of social responsibility and prioritize “individual survival” without any sense of belonging to the nation.
2. Digital capitalism is destroying the foundations of society—such as employment, communities, and culture—in exchange for convenience.
3. The wealthy are operating on the assumption that the end is near, and are accelerating survival strategies such as colonizing Mars and securing shelters.
4. Big Tech companies, led by GAFA, are beginning to wield influence that transcends national borders.
5. The general public risks becoming isolated behind the facade of convenience and facing societal collapse without any real alternatives.

This is by no means someone else’s problem.
Couldn’t we say that the time has come for each of us to accurately recognize the direction in which the world is heading and to rethink “how we, as individuals, can connect with society and our communities”?