Kevin O'Leary's Data Center Push Sparks Backlash — Pete & Greg Sound Off

Kevin O'Leary, a personality from Shark Tank, has proposed a massive 40,000-acre data center project in Utah. Despite significant local opposition from constituents, the project was approved by local municipalities. The approval has raised concerns among residents about potential increases in their electricity bills and the depletion of the Great Salt Lake, as data centers are known to be significant consumers of both power and water. O'Leary sparked further controversy by claiming on social media that most of the protesters were from out of state, a narrative the hosts, Pete Schwaba and Greg Bach, dismissed as a "tired narrative" and "nonsense." They criticized O'Leary's aggressive public comments and questioned his credibility as a political and social commentator, noting his 1977 bachelor's degree in environmental studies might be outdated given nearly 50 years of technological and research advancements. The hosts expressed a desire for more research into the necessity and taxpayer costs associated with such large-scale data center developments, with one host questioning their overall necessity. The 40,000-acre size was highlighted as being three times the size of Manhattan, underscoring the project's scale and potential impact.