Silicon Valley billionaires buy underground bunkers preparing for the apocalypse

Tech entrepreneurs fearful artificial intelligence will displace so many jobs there will be a revolt against those responsible

A prepper demonstrates some of survival gear available to buy (Rex Features)

Billionaires in the world's tech capital Silicon Valley are reportedly preparing for the apocalypse by buying underground bunkers, guns, ammo and motorcycles.

Fearful that artificial intelligence will displace so many jobs that there will be a revolt against those responsible for the technology, the entrepreneurs are readying themselves for doomsday-like scenarios.

Steve Huffman, the co-founder and chief executive of Reddit, told The New Yorker that he believes more than 50 per cent of billionaires in the Californian tech hub are preparing for the worst.

“I own a couple of motorcycles. I have a bunch of guns and ammo. Food. I figure that, with that, I can hole up in my house for some amount of time,” he said.

Others are investing in bunkers and large swathes of land. Antonio García Martínez, a former Facebook product manager, recently purchased five acres on an island in America's Pacific Northwest. His island home features generators, solar panels, and weaponry, Business Insider reported.

Known as "preppers" because they are actively preparing for emergencies in the future, discussions routinely take place on internet forums about the best equipment and locations to purchase property.

"The tech preppers do not necessarily think a collapse is likely," Yishan Wong, the former CEO of the Reddit website, told the New Yorker.

"They consider it a remote event, but one with a very severe downside, so, given how much money they have, spending a fraction of their net worth to hedge against this ... is a logical thing to do."