John Oliver: ‘Hawaii is being reshaped by wealthy outsiders’

John Oliver on billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison in Hawaii: ‘It’s the larger dynamic at work here, where wealthy outsiders can out-purchase and out-maneuver a local population, that can be so dispiriting.’ Photograph: Max

On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver looked into Hawaii’s evolution into a haven for billionaires at the expense of the local population, as part of a long history of the state prioritizing wealthy outsiders. “For native Hawaiians, it must be difficult to shake the feeling that you’re an afterthought,” he said. “It’s like be introduced by your parents saying ‘these are our sons Tommy and Tommy’s brother,’ or having a TV show announced as ‘stick around after House of the Dragon’.”

It is “no wonder” that nearly two-thirds of residents believe that their state is being run for tourists at locals’ expense. “The more you look at Hawaii, the clearer it becomes that they’re not wrong about that, but it’s not just tourists,” he said. “Hawaii has long been run for the benefit of everyone but Hawaiians.”