**Viral News Snippet: “Marc Benioff Buys 1,000 Acres of Hawaii to Build ‘Co-CEO Utopia’—Then Immediately Hires an AI to Co-Lead It”**

Viral News Snippet: “Marc Benioff Buys 1,000 Acres of Hawaii to Build ‘Co-CEO Utopia’—Then Immediately Hires an AI to Co-Lead It”

Status: [FAKE] Satirical fabrication, but spreading on tech forums.

The Rumor: A verified Twitter/X account posing as a tech insider claimed Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff purchased 1,000 pristine acres on the Big Island of Hawaii to establish “Utopia 2.0,” a self-sustaining, co-CEO paradise where he and his human co-CEO would live in harmony. The twist: Benioff reportedly fired the human co-CEO before the foundation was poured, replacing them with a custom GPT-5 model named “Mālia 2.0” programmed to agree with every strategic impulse. The “executive villas” were allegedly powered entirely by carbon credits Benioff bought from himself via Salesforce Sustainability Cloud.

Why It’s Going Viral: The story plays on two deep-seated public perceptions: Benioff’s well-known real estate love for Hawaii (he and wife Lynne have multiple properties on the Big Island) and his recent, somewhat controversial push for “co-CEO” leadership at Salesforce (he appointed himself co-CEO alongside Bret Taylor in 2021, then took sole control back in 2022). The AI twist taps into the current “CEO vs. AI” anxiety—but it’s a complete fabrication.

Reality Check:

• ✅ Real: Benioff does own land in Hawaii and is deeply involved in local philanthropy and conservation (e.g., supporting community health and education initiatives).
• ❌ Fake (Viral Post): The “1,000-acre AI utopia” is a work of satire. No credible news sources report such a project. Salesforce confirmed to fact-checkers they have zero commercial real