Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s farming venture, Sensei Farms, on Hawaii’s Lāna‘i Island is struggling due to technical issues and rookie mistakes. Despite an initial investment of $300 million, the project has faced numerous delays, leadership shake-ups, and costly errors. Ellison envisioned AI-powered greenhouses and robot harvesters to feed the world sustainably, but these plans have not materialized.
The farm’s challenges include Wi-Fi connectivity problems and solar panels damaged by Lanai’s strong winds. Design flaws also hindered growth, such as using greenhouses suitable for Israel’s desert climate instead of Lāna‘i’s muggy environment. Despite some small wins, including local market sales, Sensei Farms’ woes highlight the difficulties of specializing in an industry with a steep learning curve.
Ellison co-founded the farm with a medical doctor and currently runs it from Boston. The venture has also faced leadership changes and expensive setbacks, including cannabis grow houses that required rebuilding. Even abundant funding cannot overcome the hard lessons of this specialized industry.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/23/the-lesson-of-larry-ellisons-misadventures-in-farming