--- title: "Cybertruck Owner Who Decried Taxes Mocked for Begging for Help as California Wildfire Threatens His Property" description: "Real estate mogul Keith Wasserman, who has called for cutting property taxes, begged for \"private firefighters\" to save his house." date: "2025-01-08" modified: "2025-01-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/tax-investor-begs-help-fire" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "capitalism" - "firefighters" - "wildfires" --- # Cybertruck Owner Who Decried Taxes Mocked for Begging for Help as California Wildfire Threatens His Property ![Real estate mogul Keith Wasserman, who has called for cutting property taxes, begged for "private firefighters" to save his house.]() *\Image: Apu Gomes/Getty Images\* A West Coast-based real estate mogul and Elon Musk fan named Keith Wasserman [triggered a tidal wave of schadenfreude]() on social media after begging for "private firefighters" to come "protect our home" in the city as it's menaced by raging wildfires. Los Angeles has been battling with several out-of-control fires this week, prompting evacuations. Well [over a thousand structures]() have burned down already, and fires are expected to grow due to growing winds. In a [Wednesday tweet](), Wasserman begged for help, asking if anybody had "access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades." "Need to act fast here," he wrote. "All neighbors houses burning. Will pay any amount. Thank you." But Wasserman didn't get much pity online. Instead, he was swiftly mocked for asking for special treatment while thousands of Californians had no choice but to leave their homes behind — especially because, netizens were quick to point, a mere three months ago, Wasserman begged president-elect Donald Trump to [cut taxes](). "Homeboy went from 'Real estate ballers don’t pay taxes' to 'will pay anything for private firefighters' real quick," one user wrote in a [Threads post](). The ensuing media coverage appears to have been too much for Wasserman, who [promptly deactivated]() his X account. That's despite praising X owner Elon Musk for purportedly bringing "free speech" to the platform just days earlier and calling the Tesla Cybertruck — which he [appears to own]() himself — "one [badass machine]()." ![]() Wasserman's anti-tax posts got special attention, since one purpose of taxation is to pay for services and programs including fire departments. Specifically, residents in Los Angeles also [pay a special tax]() for essential fire suppression and emergency medical services. "Avoiding taxes so you can afford private firefighters whilst your neighbors burn," another user [tweeted](). "Capitalist dystopia." "'I will pay any amount for a private service that helps only me, but I will pay nothing for a public service that helps everyone,'" one Bluesky user wrote [mockingly](). ![]() Other users poked fun at Wasserman for becoming the [poster child of late-stage capitalism](), the concept that the inequities of modern-day capitalism, including a widening wealth gap and concentration of power, have reached their final and most exploitative stage. (Meanwhile, ultra-rich preppers are [building bunkers to save themselves]() from a crisis of their own making.) All the mockery didn't go unnoticed. "So here are all the trolls!" Wasserman [tweeted]() in response, before deactivating his account. "Hello trolls!" Besides arguing that he was only "trying to protect homes," though, Wasserman didn't have much to add to the conversation. A mere three days ago, long before the wildfires started engulfing the Los Angeles area, the real estate investor [tweeted]() that "Pacific Palisades is the most hidden gem neighborhood in LA." Now that the specific neighborhood is being evacuated while [being surrounded by fierce flames](), another user was quick to point out the irony of the situation. "This didn’t age well," another user [responded](). And even if he did manage to buy his way to private firefighting services, others pointed out, it's nearly impossible to entirely cut yourself off from common resources. "Even if you \*do\* manage to find private firefighters, you’re going to have to find a water source," posted [another critic](). "They all want to disappear on a lifeboat and leave the rest of us to drown or burn. But ultimately there is no durable lifeboat without 'the rest of us.'" We were unable to reach Wasserman due to him suspending his account. **More on the fires:** [*NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab Evacuated as Los Angeles Burns*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()