The billionaire CEO of Columbia Sportswear has issued flat-Earthers the ultimate challenge and an even more astonishing reward.
Tim Boyle, 76, announced a competition on Tuesday inviting anyone who believes the Earth is flat to locate the planet’s actual edge and bring back photographic proof of the abyss beyond it.
If they succeed, he promises they’ll receive control of his family’s $3 billion company, founded in 1938.
The offer is part of Columbia’s new marketing campaign, “Expedition Impossible,” which features Boyle walking through the brand’s Oregon headquarters, pointing out offices, conference rooms and even coffee machines that would become the winner’s property.
“This message is for flat-Earthers,” Boyle says in the ad. “You claim there’s an end to the Earth. So go snap a picture, send it to us, and you get the assets of the company. All of it. No paperwork, no lawyers, no catches.”
A challenge that contradicts 2,000 years of science
The roundness of Earth has been known since ancient Greece and is supported by countless lines of evidence from ships disappearing beneath the horizon, to Earth’s curved shadow during lunar eclipses, to photographs from satellites and crewed missions.
Yet modern flat-Earth groups insist that all such evidence is fake, part of a sweeping conspiracy by governments and scientific institutions.
Boyle, a member of the family that founded Columbia after emigrating from Germany, seems happy to put this belief to the test.
The fine print and a twist
Although he vows to give away “the company,” a man posing as Boyle’s lawyer appears in the ad to explain the details. Columbia has created a special entity called “The Company, LLC,” valued at $100,000. That is the actual prize still a sizeable reward for anyone who can deliver proof of Earth’s “edge.”
To avoid shortcuts, Columbia has strict criteria for what counts as evidence. The company says the winning photo must show “a visible, physical end to planet Earth,” whether that’s an infinite drop, a void, or a boundary extending into the distance.
What won’t count? A regular cliff, a cul-de-sac, or “your buddy Dave legally changing his name to ‘The Edge.’”
“Flat-Earthers, do me a favor,” Boyle adds. “If you’re going to the edge of the Earth, wear Columbia. You’ll need it. Best of luck.”
Why the horizon looks flat
Dr Ian Whittaker, a physics lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, explained why Earth’s curvature isn’t visible from the ground.
“You can only see a few miles across the horizon,” he told the Daily Mail. “Compared to Earth’s size, that distance is tiny. It’s like a microbe on a basketball it sees only a flat patch, not the curve.”
New footage, old controversy
In April, passengers aboard SpaceX’s Fram2 mission the first civilians to orbit over Earth’s poles captured new video clearly showing the planet’s curvature. The footage caused widespread amusement online.