[kdhaskjdhadjk]

1) Gabe's a front man. He doesn't run Valve.

2) New Zealand is a favorite place for Western apparatchiks to build their bunkers. They don't move there out of a love for Kiwi culture and desire to integrate with the locals. Much like their interest in Wyoming/Montana also; they see a place they like, and they go take it over and drive out/murder whoever was there before.

[hurricanepootis]

Gabe may be a the front man, but he's still like the benevolent dictator for life of Valve. Kind of like how Linux Torvalds is the BDFL of Linux

[ahartmetz]

Not to mention that it's a private company and he personally owns it (to the best of my knowledge).