Kevin O’Leary’s Wild Spy Theory Mocked by Data Center Opponents

Kevin O'Leary, the Canadian billionaire and 'Shark Tank' star, faced mockery from Utah-based activists after he publicly accused them of being Chinese operatives. O'Leary, appearing on Fox News, claimed that Elevate Strategies, a Democratic political group opposing his proposed $100 billion Stratos data center in Box Elder County, Utah, was funded by China to undermine his investment. He alleged a spike in misinformation on social media platforms and suggested IP addresses linked to Elevate Strategies could be proxies for the Chinese government, inviting them to audit their finances. Gabi Finlayson and Jackie Morgan, co-founders of Elevate Strategies, sharply rebuked O'Leary's claims in a viral video, humorously suggesting they would be 'the worst operatives in the entire world' if the accusations were true. They emphasized their funding comes from small-dollar donors, not foreign governments, and questioned O'Leary's grasp of business realities. Finlayson concluded her response with a pointed remark, 'Keep my name out of your f**king mouth.' The Stratos project, planned to span 40,000 acres, has drawn local opposition primarily due to its projected electricity consumption, which O'Leary himself stated would exceed that of the entire state of Utah annually. This local resistance aligns with broader national concerns regarding data centers' environmental impact, with a recent Gallup poll indicating significant public opposition to data center construction near residential areas.