Out of everything that Jeff Bezos could be funding, a mechanical clock does not come to mind. But it seems some clock has been ticking in the mind of the Amazon founder who is quietly supporting the construction of a 10,000-year clock inside a Texas mountain.The work is called the Clock of the Long Now and is a part of an initiative by the Long Now Foundation to encourage long-term thinking. It was conceived by Danny Hillis, co-founder of the Long Now Foundation. According to the foundation itself, the monumental-scale version of the clock is being assembled inside a mountain in west Texas, on a property owned by Bezos.The aim is simple yet something out of a sci-fi movie plot: to create a machine capable of marking time for ten millennia, operating at an extremely slow pace, with mechanical mechanisms, thermal energy and solar synchronisation.
Funded by Jeff Bezos
The foundation also states that Bezos provided the ideal mountain to house the structure.
The Long Now Foundation reports that Jeff Bezos funded the third and largest clock project, a full-scale version built inside a mountain. The foundation also states that Bezos provided the ideal mountain to house the structure. A mountain in west Texas was chosen in order to ensure the preservation of the clock. The foundation highlights that areas of high desert offer a dry environment and more stable internal temperatures, favourable conditions to reduce wear over time. Inside the mountain, the clock is less exposed to extreme variations of climate, wind, rain, and everyday human action. This physical isolation helps transform the very geology into a kind of protective box.After studying versions of the clock for decades, the structure is being realised in one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the 62-year-old.
A structure made to last time
The clock was designed to be accessed from within the mountain itself. As per the foundation, the clock’s shaft is 500 feet tall, about 152 metres and 12 feet wide, with a spiral staircase carved into the rock around the structure. The staircase, was constructed with the help of a robot that was able to cut into the solid rock. Rather than a traditional mechanical project, the clock is an underground monument.The clock was created to operate without relying on the logic of a modern electric clock. The foundation reported that the system counts the oscillations of a pendulum to measure daily time and uses sunlight on a solar synchroniser to correct long-term deviations.The project also uses a mechanism associated with temperature variations between day and night. According to Long Now’s description, a thermal device at the top of the structure helps power the timing system and provides force to keep the pendulum running. This design avoids dependence on batteries, electrical cables, or modern infrastructure that could disappear in a few centuries. The idea is that the clock uses predictable natural phenomena, such as sunlight and thermal cycles, to remain active on an almost unimaginable time scale.One of the most impressive elements about the clock is its bell system. As per the foundation, the clock has a chime generator developed with the help of musician Brian Eno, capable of producing more than 3.5 million unique bell sequences. Each time the clock is visited and activated, it can play a different combination. The intention is that the sound heard by one person is unlikely to be repeated by another over centuries! The foundation states that this allows for a different sequence each day the clock is fully activated over the 10,000 years planned.
Encouraging long-term thinking
Along with measuring time, the machine has been designed to remind humans that their decisions can produce effects beyond just a generation.
The stated aim of the project is not just technical, it is also a bit whimsical. The foundation claims that the clock is part of an initiative to encourage long-term thinking. Along with measuring time, the machine has been designed to remind humans that their decisions can produce effects beyond just a generation. The very name “Long Now” points to this idea. The foundation argues that humanity usually thinks in short terms, linked to months, years, or economic cycles, while problems like climate, cultural preservation, technology, and civilisation require much larger horizons.Moreover, the clock also underlines its own contrast with the current world. Most modern devices today are meant to last a few years and are easily disposable and replaceable. The clock will outlast not only devices, but also generations, transforming it into a silent critique of urgency and obsolescence.