'The Cuckoo Comes Out Every Thousand Years': Jeff Bezos Spent $42 Million On A 10,000-Year Clock —But Says United States 'Won't Exist' For That Long

Jeff Bezos is no stranger to moonshots. But this one's not heading to space—it's heading deep inside a mountain. The Amazon founder and world's third-richest man has spent a cool $42 million building a 500-foot-tall mechanical clock designed to tick just once a year, nestled inside a remote mountain in West Texas.

It's called the 10,000 Year Clock, and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like: a clock built to run for 10,000 years, powered by thermal cycles and visitors turning a giant hand-crank. Because obviously, if you're a billionaire thinking long-term, your timepiece should outlive every civilization that's ever existed.

Don't Miss:

• Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — this is your last chance to become an investor for $0.80 per share.
• Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Many are rushing to grab 4,000 of its pre-IPO shares for just $0.30/share!

"The 10,000 Year Clock is a physical clock of monumental scale," Bezos explained on Lex Fridman's podcast in 2023. "It ticks once a year, chimes every hundred years, and the cuckoo comes out every thousand years."

And yes—there's a cuckoo. But don't expect it to pop out anytime soon.

Today's Best Finance Deals

Wait, Why a Clock?

The whole idea started in the mind of inventor Danny Hillis, who's been obsessed with long-term thinking since 1989. He envisioned a clock that forces people to confront time on a scale they're not used to—one where 100 years is just a tick of the hand. Hillis wanted the clock to serve as a symbol, not just a gadget. Bezos? He bought into the vision—and then some.

"We need to start training ourselves to think longer term," Bezos said. "Long-term thinking is a giant lever. You can literally solve problems if you think long-term that are impossible to solve if you think short-term."

That's the heart of this project: long-term thinking. As Bezos sees it, humanity has leveled up—technologically speaking—but the way we think hasn't caught up. We're still obsessed with quarterly earnings and election cycles, while the problems we're creating stretch far beyond a single human lifespan.

Trending: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal: Invest in Cytonics and help disrupt a $390B Big Pharma stronghold.

A Clock That Makes You Hike

The location isn't exactly tourist-friendly. It's in the middle of nowhere for a reason.

"It's in a remote location, both to protect it, but also so that visitors have to kind of make a pilgrimage," Bezos said.

Think of it like Burning Man meets a mechanical wonder of the world. The idea is that over time, the trek to see the clock becomes part of the experience—an intentional journey to ponder time, legacy, and whatever humanity looks like hundreds or even thousands of years from now.

When complete, visitors will encounter carved-out chambers marking anniversaries: 1 year, 10 years, 100, 1,000, and 10,000. The one-year chamber features an orrery, a mechanical model of the solar system, complete with not just planets but also interplanetary probes launched during the 20th century. Because when you’re building something to outlive empires, you don't stop at Earth.

You Have To Wind It

Despite all the engineering wizardry, the clock won't just keep ticking on its own. Visitors must power it using a hand-turned wheel.

And no, that's not a design flaw—it's the point. The Long Now Foundation, which is leading the project, says it’s meant to be a conversation starter across generations. A mechanical ritual in the age of digital overload.

Ambient music legend Brian Eno even built a chime generator that plays a new sequence daily for 10,000 years—if someone's there to power it. That's commitment to the bit.

See Also: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: Schedule your free call with a financial advisor to start your financial journey – no cost, no obligation.

"Will Humans Even Be Around?"

Bezos isn't blind to the irony of building something meant to last 10,000 years when no nation-state has even made it past a few hundred.

"Do I think humans will be here? Yes," he told Fridman. "But the United States won't exist. Whole civilizations rise and fall. 10,000 years is so long."

He's not wrong. The pyramids are baby steps compared to this timeline. But that's exactly why he wants this clock to exist: as a "symbol for long-term thinking" that will gather meaning over time—slowly, quietly, monumentally.

The Final Tick

There's no finish date for the clock. It's being carved, literally, out of stone—spiral staircases and all—by a team of machinists, engineers, and artists. This isn't some quick publicity stunt. It's a serious bet on the far future. Bezos may be one of many hands turning the gears, but he's the one who signed the $42 million check.

And when the cuckoo finally does pop out in the year 3025? Let's hope somebody's there to hear it.

Read Next:

• Are you rich? Here’s what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy.
• Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – with $1,000 you can invest at just $0.30/share!

Image: Shutterstock