The "Educational Empire Dream" of Tech Billionaires: Musk's Expansion, Zuckerberg's Exit, and How Silicon Valley Culture Is Rewriting the Classroom
In the field of American education, innovation experiments led by tech billionaires have never ceased, yet they are often accompanied by unexpected twists. Recently, the contrast between two pieces of news has been particularly eye - catching: on one hand, it's the end of an educational ideal; on the other hand, it's the start of a new experiment.
Currently, the educational experiment of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is coming to an end. He and his wife, Priscilla Chan, founded The Primary School in 2016 through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Located in East Palo Alto, Silicon Valley, the school announced that it would close in 2026 after operating for ten years.
This decision affects 443 students and dozens of faculty members. Behind it, there are not only financial and management difficulties but also a significant change in Zuckerberg's political stance in recent years. The school once aimed to integrate education, healthcare, and social support, emphasizing diversity and fairness. However, it lost its foundation due to the wavering of the founder's progressive ideals.
Meanwhile, in Bastrop, Texas, near the corporate town of "Snailbrook" built by Elon Musk, the "Iron Man of Silicon Valley", a new preschool called Ad Astra will open in the fall of 2025.
The dismal end of Zuckerberg's educational career and Musk's ambitious start outline the "cycle of expansion and decline" of tech billionaires in the field of education. Vast wealth has given rise to innovative educational experiments, and ideals and the passion for change have kindled hope. However, the complexity of reality, the drastic fluctuations in the political environment, and extensive social doubts often make these grand blueprints unstable and even lead to their downfall.
01. The Educational Visions of Tech Billionaires: The Convergence of Wealth and Ideals
As the American education system faces structural challenges, billionaires, with their substantial financial resources and innovative thinking in the tech field, have plunged into education reform, becoming prominent "amateur educators". They attempt to use private capital to fill the gap in public education resources and explore new educational models.
Besides Zuckerberg, here are the general situations of the educational projects of several other representative figures:
· Elon Musk: In 2014, Musk founded the Ad Astra School at the California headquarters of SpaceX. Initially, it only served his own children and the children of employees, emphasizing a problem - driven learning approach centered on STEM. In 2020, after the offline campus of the school closed, it was transformed into an online school called Astra Nova, serving 300 students aged 10 to 14 globally. Now, the new Ad Astra School that Musk is building in "Snailbrook", Texas, carries his grand vision of creating a future tech - education ecosystem.
· Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon: In 2018, he founded the Bezos Academy through the Day One Fund, focusing on "Montessori - style" preschool education. It provides free education for low - income families, aiming to address the pain point of insufficient coverage of preschool education in the United States.
Another one is Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs: She founded the XQ Institute in 2015, investing $300 million. Through a "challenge" approach, it funds high schools across the United States to promote curriculum reform and innovation.
Although these projects have different goals, they share a common vision: to use private resources to make up for the deficiencies of the public education system and explore more efficient and fair educational models. These schools are often deeply imprinted with the personal concepts of their founders. For example, Musk's school is closely related to the tech culture of SpaceX, emphasizing future - oriented innovative thinking; Zuckerberg's school carried his early progressive ideals, focusing on social fairness; and Bezos' preschool uses the banner of "inclusiveness" to precisely serve "working - poor" families.
02. Elon Musk's Ad Astra School: Hiring Teachers from Inside SpaceX and Abandoning the Grade System
The Ad Astra School founded by Elon Musk
Musk's educational experiment began in 2014. At that time, he was dissatisfied with the traditional curriculum of private schools in Los Angeles, believing that it lacked the ability to stimulate creativity. So, he directly mobilized resources from inside SpaceX, hired teachers, and founded the Ad Astra School in the company's campus for his own children and the children of employees. This school abandoned the traditional grade system, allowing students to choose their own learning pace according to their interests and abilities. The curriculum covers cutting - edge disciplines such as physics, engineering, and programming, aiming to cultivate the ability to solve complex problems.
In 2020, the offline campus of Ad Astra closed, but its educational concept was continued through the online school Astra Nova. Astra Nova currently serves about 300 students aged 10 to 14 globally. The curriculum is rich and diverse, covering everything from special relativity to ethical hacking, as well as creative writing and music composition, all reflecting its forward - looking nature.
Its signature course, "Conundrums", trains students' critical thinking through open - ended questions. For example, "If a movie completely created by AI is hailed as a masterpiece, should its technological origin be concealed to win an award?" Such questions not only stimulate students' thinking but also imply discussions about AI ethics, although the course design is somewhat lacking in dealing with legal and ethical disputes.
Meanwhile, the Synthesis Tutor project founded by Joshua Dahn, a former collaborator of Musk, and engineer Chrisman Frank, has pushed AI technology to the forefront of education. This product, known as the "AI super tutor", publicly claims to replace traditional teachers. Frank even said bluntly on social media: "Most teachers are just expensive babysitters. In the future, education either embraces AI or leads to the slow decline of civilization." Such radical remarks have triggered strong backlash from the education community and the public. Critics believe that it ignores the emotional connection and social function of education, simplifies learning to mechanical knowledge input, and may further exacerbate educational inequality.
Now, Musk's new Ad Astra School in the "Snailbrook" town in Texas is about to open. According to Texas government documents, the school will only enroll 21 children aged 3 to 9 in its first year, and the Musk Foundation has invested $100 million, aiming to expand the school into a STEM - oriented university. This is not only an educational experiment but also an important part of Musk's plan to create a comprehensive corporate town ecosystem, closely related to the local layout of Tesla, SpaceX, and the Boring Company. The school is managed by Jared Birchall, Musk's long - term wealth manager, highlighting its deep connection with Musk's business empire.
03. The Contraction of the Zuckerbergs' Educational Map: The Ebb of the "DEI Ideal"
Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan
In sharp contrast to Musk's expansion, Zuckerberg's educational experiment is contracting. The Primary School was once a model of educational innovation in Silicon Valley, aiming to provide comprehensive support for low - income families and students of color through the integration of education, healthcare, and psychological counseling. 61% of the school's students are Latino, reflecting its commitment to diversity and fairness. However, in April 2025, the school announced that it would close at the end of the 2026 school year. The official reason given was a "difficult decision after careful consideration", but no specific reasons were provided.
It is generally believed in the outside world that the closure of the school is closely related to Zuckerberg's recent political turn. In early 2025, Meta significantly cut its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) projects, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative terminated similar initiatives one month later. According to the Daily Mail, to avoid sky - high antitrust fines from the Federal Trade Commission and the potential split of the Meta empire, Zuckerberg has gradually moved closer to the Republican Party. He has even visited the White House multiple times and established connections with the Trump administration. This change in political stance has made the progressive ideals of The Primary School lose their foundation. When the founder abandons the values on which the school is based, its closure becomes almost inevitable.
In addition, the operation of another school of the Zuckerbergs in California has also encountered setbacks. According to The New York Times, they ran a "homeschooling" program at their home in Palo Alto, but received a complaint for violating the city code because they did not have a license to operate a private school. Although the spokesperson argued that it was only a temporary home - education project during the pandemic, this incident further highlighted the difficulties of Zuckerberg's educational experiment.
04. Jeff Bezos: Focusing on Pragmatic Inclusive Education
Compared with Musk's futurism and Zuckerberg's political twists and turns, Bezos' educational experiment seems more pragmatic. Since 2020, the Bezos Academy has been established in multiple states in the United States. It adopts a "Montessori - style" preschool education model, providing free education and meals for children aged 3 to 5, aiming to serve low - income families. In the fall of 2025, a new campus in Glendale, Arizona, will open. Three classrooms will be opened initially, accommodating 60 children, and the plan is to expand to 120 in the future. The enrollment criteria are that the family income is below the federal poverty line (about $128,600 for a family of four), and students are admitted through a lottery system.
This model, although seemingly generous, also has limitations. First, the lottery system may exclude some families that really need it. Second, the income threshold precisely targets the "poor" group, and lower - middle - class families often miss out on places because their income is slightly higher. In addition, the Bezos Academy relies entirely on the Bezos Foundation for funding and lacks public budget support, so its long - term sustainability is worrying.
Nevertheless, this project addresses the pain point of insufficient coverage of preschool education in the United States. According to a study by Rutgers University, Arizona ranks 43rd out of 50 states in preschool education coverage in the United States. For many families, the free full - time education and meals provided by the Bezos Academy are undoubtedly a timely help.
05. The Widow of Steve Jobs: Exploring Diverse Paths with Competency - Based Learning at the Core
The XQ Institute, supported by the Emerson Collective, a charity organization of Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, was launched in 2015, aiming to "reshape" the education system by funding innovative high schools. The organization promised $136 million to 19 teams across the United States, including 10 teams selected in 2016, with each team receiving $10 million. Recently, XQ has also cooperated with the government. For example, it invested $10 million in 10 new or restructured public high schools in New York City, which is one of its largest regional projects.
The XQ Institute provides innovative funding for high schools across the United States and launches projects such as competency - based learning, emphasizing that students can only advance after mastering specific knowledge. In 2016 and 2017, XQ invested $38 million and $27 million respectively in "movement building and public awareness", including a national bus tour and a TV special program participated in by celebrities such as Tom Hanks and Justin Timberlake, attracting 25 million viewers. However, the results are mixed. Some insiders are disappointed with the influence of the TV program, believing that it lacks clear action guidelines.
Despite the huge investment, the XQ Institute has sparked controversy due to issues of data transparency and actual results. For example, three of the 19 teams it funded failed to open or expand schools as planned, and one closed earlier this year due to performance issues and opposition from the local school board. At Crosstown High School in Memphis, Tennessee, there were student strikes and the departure of the principal, who was the second leader to leave the school in two years. Critics such as education historian Diane Ravitch believe that the intervention of private funds from XQ may lead to uneven distribution of educational resources.
06. Controversy and the Future: At the Crossroads of Educational Privatization and AI Integration
The educational experiments of tech billionaires are intersecting with two profound changes in the American education system: the wave of privatization and the rise of AI technology applications.
In terms of educational privatization, the "School Choice Policy" promoted by the Trump administration is quite controversial. This policy allows public funds to flow to private or religious schools. Supporters believe that it gives families more choices in education, while opponents sternly warn that it will empty the public education budget and further exacerbate the inequality of educational resources. Musk is an open supporter of this policy. He agrees with the school voucher system implemented in Texas and said bluntly: "If a child can only be forced to enter a bad school, it's like they are being deprived of opportunities."
In the field of AI - enabled education, the application of new technologies is also full of controversy. Although the "Conundrums" course launched by Astra Nova shows the potential of AI in education, it downplays the ethical and legal disputes involved in AI. The Synthesis Tutor goes even further, proposing to replace teachers with AI. Its pilot project in Oklahoma has raised widespread concerns among parents and educators. Critics point out that AI - based education may weaken the emotional connection between teachers and students and fail to meet the core needs of students in social and emotional development.
Deeper fairness challenges are also emerging. Although most of these emerging schools carry the banner of "innovation", their enrollment scope is often narrow, or the cost is high. Musk's newly founded Ad Astra School gives priority to the children of enterprise employees. These real - world limitations make people wonder: Are these schools really solving the problem of educational inequality, or are they just providing customized services for the elite?
The educational empires built by billionaires not only show the innovative potential driven by wealth. Musk's Ad Astra and Bezos' preschool bring exciting possibilities to education. But the failure cases also sound the alarm - the closure of Zuckerberg's schools and the controversy caused by the XQ Institute remind people that money alone cannot ensure the success of educational experiments.
In the future, American education may be increasingly shaped by private capital and AI technology. However, it is crucial to find a balance between the vitality of private investment and the boundary of public responsibility. This is not only about whether education can always remain a "public good accessible to all" rather than becoming an "exclusive experimental field for the elite", but also about whether social consensus and institutional guarantees can provide long - term support for educational reform. As the rise and fall of these schools show: wealth can ignite the spark of change, but for this flame to truly warm the future of education, the joint efforts of the whole society are still needed.