The World's Most Elite Club: Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg Cannot Get In

Wealth of hundreds of billions of US dollars apparently does not necessarily open every door for Jeff Bezos. The Amazon founder has so far failed to obtain membership at the Indian Creek Country Club, one of the most exclusive clubs in Miami, United States. Bezos owns three properties on Indian Creek Island with a total purchase value of around US$234 million or approximately Rp4.17 trillion (assuming an exchange rate of Rp17,806 per US dollar). The private island is known as the ‘Billionaire Bunker’ because it is home to some of the world’s richest and most influential people.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, even attended the Indian Creek Country Club’s annual party in February as special guests. Bezos reportedly came hoping to convince the club’s board to accept him as a member. He chatted with members, while businessmen such as Richard LeFrak and Eddie Lampert queued to shake his hand. However, six months later, an invitation to become a member has still not arrived.

Indian Creek Country Club is not a club that automatically accepts someone simply because they own a home on the island. Property owners on Indian Creek must still go through a selection process, while people who do not live on the island can also apply for membership.

Indian Creek Country Club was established in 1929 and has long been a gathering place for old-money families and a number of prominent figures who spend time in South Florida. The club has only around 350 members. The initial membership fee is close to US$1 million or around Rp16 billion, while annual dues are around US$44,000 or Rp704 million. However, money alone is not enough.

Prospective members typically need sponsorship from two active members and letters of recommendation from five other members. They then need to socialise with long-standing members and make a good impression, from attending club events and cocktail gatherings to playing golf together. Six members of the membership committee determine which candidates will be put forward. After that, a 15-member board of directors votes to accept or reject the candidate. The board is chaired by former AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson.

Extraordinary popularity and wealth do not guarantee acceptance. According to several people familiar with the club’s membership process, excessive wealth or fame can even be a factor that makes some long-standing members reluctant to accept newcomers.

Bezos is not the only famous billionaire who has failed to enter the circle. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the Qatari royal family, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are also recorded as owners or residents of property on Indian Creek but are not members of the country club. This is seen as a clash between the old-money crowd of South Florida and the new wave of billionaires from the technology, finance and real estate industries.

Long-standing members act as gatekeepers of the club and do not automatically grant membership to everyone who has recently acquired great wealth. Some members even tried to change the club’s rules by raising the percentage of votes required to approve a sale of the club. The move was reportedly aimed at preventing a technology tycoon from arriving with a billion-dollar cheque and buying the club. The proposed rule change ultimately did not pass.

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump also faced a long road to membership. The couple bought a 1.26-acre plot on Indian Creek and converted a Spanish-style house into a modern residence. Mary Anne Shula, wife of the late Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, became their sponsor for the membership application. Shula even hosted a cocktail party at her home to introduce the couple to the club’s board. However, when Jared and Ivanka held a party at their own home, only about half of the club’s board members attended. Although some were out of town, the absence was seen as a signal that the couple would not yet be accepted.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon also experienced rejection. When Solomon expressed his desire to join, one member reportedly organised a petition to prevent him from entering. Despite this, Solomon eventually succeeded in obtaining membership. Meanwhile, Jersey Mike’s founder Peter Cancro and NFL legend Tom Brady reportedly had no significant difficulty joining.

The exclusivity of Indian Creek is not just about prestige. Privacy and security are major draws for billionaires and celebrities. Indian Creek Village is a separate municipality with legislative authority. The roughly 300-acre island can only be accessed by boat or via a single gated bridge and has its own police force. Most of the island is owned by the country club. The club has a private golf course, a clubhouse designed to resemble a Mediterranean villa, and a swimming pool overlooking Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. It is this kind of privacy that makes club membership so valuable to the super-rich.