Mark Zuckerberg’s work is difficult to describe to a child. But one of his favorite hobbies these days—producing beef—is easier to understand.
Meta’s CEO recently revealed that his daughter misunderstood what his day job was.
“For a while she just thought I was a cattle rancher,” Facebook co-founder. said Morning beer every Friday.
While Zuckerberg’s passion for martial arts is well documented, he is also committed to producing the best beef on the planet—not for commercial sale, but to enjoy with friends and family.
The tech billionaire raises cattle at Ko’olau Ranch, his estate on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. On Instagram mail last month he wrote:
“I started raising cattle on the Ko’olau Ranch on Kauai and my goal is to produce the highest quality beef in the world. The cattle are Wagyu and Angus, and they will grow up eating macadamia meal and drinking the beer we grow and produce here on the ranch.”
Zuckerberg has no shortage of land on the island. According to Wired investigation published a few months ago, the property includes 1,400 acres. “Less than one percent of all land is developed, with the vast majority dedicated to agriculture, ranching, conservation, open space and wildlife conservation,” a spokesperson for Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan told the tech publication.
“We want the entire experience to be local and vertically integrated,” Zuckerberg wrote on Instagram. “Each cow eats 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of food every year, so that’s many acres of macadamia trees. My daughters help plant poppy trees and take care of various animals. “We’re still at the beginning of our journey and it’s nice to improve every season.”
Zuckerberg jokes with his family: “If I’m ever done with Meta, I’ll run Mark’s Meats,” he told Morning Brew.
This operation will be easier for a child to understand than Meta’s offerings, which include Facebook, Instagram, and Metaverse.
“If you’re a kid, it’s hard to wrap your head around what Meta is,” Zuckerberg said.
As for raising cattle, “I think it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Okay, let’s make ourselves a beer.’ Let’s grow our own macadamia nuts.” His children can participate in figuring out what it means to manage such a process, he noted, and “it’s easier for them to do that than to be involved in a software business.”