Entrepreneurship August 18, 2026 0 Comments

Why These “Country Hicks” Just Snubbed $26 Million—And What It Means for Big Tech’s Next Move

Ever wonder what you’d do if a giant tech firm dangled $26 million in front of you, only to reveal it’s for building a massive AI data center right on your backyard farmland? Meet Delsia Bare and her mother, Ida Huddleston—two women from Maysville, Kentucky, who faced precisely that dilemma. But here’s the twist: instead of cashing in and walking away, they chose to stand their ground, not just for the money, but because to them, this isn’t just a business deal—it’s about faith, routine, and a gut feeling that AI might just be spinning a dangerous web. While the tech giant, likely Meta, throws billions in incentives at the town, the ripple effect has torn the community apart, sparking lawsuits and fierce debates over what progress really means for small-town America. So, what’s the true cost of AI expansion when it lands in your own backyard—money, legacy, or something even deeper? Let’s unpack this high-stakes face-off between future tech and old-school grit. LEARN MORE

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Delsia Bare and her mother, Ida Huddleston, agreed to sell their Kentucky farmland to an unnamed company for $26.48 million. Then they found out it was for a 2.2-gigawatt AI data center.

That was the deal breaker, according to the Wall Street Journal. Bare said she believes AI could be “the destruction of the human race” and sees staying on her land as a biblical duty. Huddleston was put off by the NDA clause of the contract and simply didn’t want to leave the routine of her daily life. “Even if I had $26 million, I’d want to sit here in my chair, and have my coffee and eat my food where I always do,” she said.

Bare, 54, is legally nearly blind from diabetes. Huddleston is 83 and walks with a cane. “One of us is blind and the other’s cripple,” Huddleston said. They call themselves “country hicks” and have become polarizing figures in the pushback against AI’s expansion into small towns.

Their refusal to take the deal has split their hometown of Maysville, population 8,700. Neighbors have sued neighbors. Facebook groups have turned hostile. The company, later identified through public records as likely Meta, has offered the town $110 million in land deals, plus funding for emergency services and water infrastructure. A Meta spokesman said no decision has been made.

Delsia Bare and her mother, Ida Huddleston, agreed to sell their Kentucky farmland to an unnamed company for $26.48 million. Then they found out it was for a 2.2-gigawatt AI data center.

That was the deal breaker, according to the Wall Street Journal. Bare said she believes AI could be “the destruction of the human race” and sees staying on her land as a biblical duty. Huddleston was put off by the NDA clause of the contract and simply didn’t want to leave the routine of her daily life. “Even if I had $26 million, I’d want to sit here in my chair, and have my coffee and eat my food where I always do,” she said.

Bare, 54, is legally nearly blind from diabetes. Huddleston is 83 and walks with a cane. “One of us is blind and the other’s cripple,” Huddleston said. They call themselves “country hicks” and have become polarizing figures in the pushback against AI’s expansion into small towns.

Their refusal to take the deal has split their hometown of Maysville, population 8,700. Neighbors have sued neighbors. Facebook groups have turned hostile. The company, later identified through public records as likely Meta, has offered the town $110 million in land deals, plus funding for emergency services and water infrastructure. A Meta spokesman said no decision has been made.