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Ask Slashdot: What Would You Do If You Were Suddenly Wealthy?
An anonymous reader writes: There are a few articles floating around today about comments from Markus Persson, aka "Notch," the creator of Minecraft. He sold his game studio to Microsoft last year for $2.5 billion, but he seems to be having a hard time adjusting to his newfound fame and wealth. He wrote, "The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance. ... Found a great girl, but she's afraid of me and my life style and went with a normal person instead. I would Musk and try to save the world, but that just exposes me to the same type of a$#@%&*s that made me sell minecraft again." While he later suggests he was just having a bad day, he does seem to be dealing with some isolation issues. Granted, it can be hard to feel sorry for a billionaire, but I've wondered at times how I'd handle sudden wealth like that, and I long ago decided it would make the human relationships I'm accustomed to rather difficult. So, how would you deal with Notch's problem? It seems like one the tech industry should at least be aware of, given the focus on startup culture.
Buy land and start a small hobby farm (very small). Animals and crops require constant attention, you can't ignore them for even a day. Keeps you busy, keeps you grounded, even if you do still get most of your food from a grocery store. He's got enough to bring internet access out from nearby town or city, so he can stay up to date and work for fun instead of a living, until he figures out what he'd rather do instead.
Stop "solving" all your problems with money and pick up a few that require attention and care instead of cash. You can buy the animals, buildings, and tools, but YOU still have to use them or you fail and things die.
The first thing I need to do is hire an accountant so I know how much I actually have. If I do anything else first, I have a feeling a significant portion of the fortune would be gone before I have any kind of understanding of what my tax burden is, and I'd fuck myself right back to poverty.
Next thing I do (after buying a house, of course) is start studying accountancy, because if I've learned anything from reading the news the past several years, it's that NOBODY can be trusted with that many zeroes.
After that, I've got friends who need help, and who deserve it much more than I do. I want to see them happy. Then I can start worrying about businesses and philanthropy and shit like that.
When I was in college, there was a guy who was really wealthy (no idea how much, not billions, but millions I'm sure) --- his parents died young, I think it was an accident of sorts, and he inherited a fortune, or got a settlement.
Anyway... people used him for free beer, parties, food, anything they could get from him. I knew him tangentially because he was a pen and paper gamer, and ran some D&D sessions so we had some common friends.
The poor guy seemed miserable, knowing most people were only hanging out with him for his money, etc. Seriously, he was just a sad sack, seemed depressed and lonely in that existential kind of way. I know people say 'aw.... poor little rich boy', but I really felt bad for the guy. He seemed like a decent enough person, but the money didn't seem to make his life really that much better. Sure he didn't have student loans like I did, didn't have to work like I did -- but I had some good friends, who certainly didn't hang out with me for money (or lack thereof)
'The unexamined life is not worth living' - Socrates
Yeah, I was going to say "put aside enough money to live relatively comfortably for the rest of your life, then give most of it away". That way you probably won't have to work if you don't want to, and you aren't isolated.
Or just do random acts of kindness - pay off a whole neighborhood's mortgages, or something. Help some disadvantaged kids get better teachers, provide clean water or infrastructure in developing countries, donate money to interesting research projects. Help unemployed people learn new trades. There's plenty to do, and it might help with his social isolation as well.
Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.
"I would Musk and try to save the world, but that just exposes me to the same type of a$#@%&*s that made me sell minecraft again."
You don't have to try to be Musk. If you don't feel the need to get into that or be that sort of creative, at least you can recognize the people who do/are. Call him. You don't need to buy public shares when you have that kind of money. You invest in other people who are trying to change the world.
Keep some for yourself and enjoy your life while knowing that your money is helping to change the world. Don't like what Musk is doing? He's just an example. Fine something you believe in and invest.
I would blow it on something I found ridiculously cool. Like hardened, high-speed em-drive interstellar probes or something. But to each his own.
I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
For starters you would never see my fat ass again. I would never post another thing to /.. My ass would be laying on some beach somewhere with some bronze honey fanning me with one of those palm leaves and other serving me cold drinks out of a coconut cup.
Some people say, "if I ever get rich I won't quit work." Screw that, may ass would be out of here. It would be the last thing you ever saw of me as I ran out the door.
Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification
If he can't keep a woman around while being a billionaire I'd say that mental illness is called "ego".
I knew someone who was a "mere millionaire" who had the same problem.
It's not ego. Women don't come labeled with tags that say "sincere" and "gold digger" so you can tell who loves you because you're a wonderful person and who merely loves your wallet.
That's the real ego problem. Most of us would like not to have the "love" leave when the money does. Or, for that matter, when a higher "bidder" comes along.
Not only that, but being friends with people of a different social status is not easy. I wasn't always very successful, but now I am at the point where I live a very comfortable life. The more successful I get, the more it seems that there are people who "want something" from me. It starts small, with people wanting to use my apartment complex's pool or other facilities. It has a way of snowballing into the expectation that my family will do all the driving and hosting of get-togethers. These problems only occur with friends who are of a lower economic status than us. If they reciprocated, we wouldn't care. I understand those friends aren't flush with cash, but a platter of home cooked baked chicken isn't that expensive, and some of them can't even be bothered with that. A cooler of cheap beer is within just about everyone's monetary reach; especially if I will offer you the same at a later date. But that isn't what I get out of many friendships with lower class people.
We don't have this problem with people on the same income level. They always reciprocate. I don't think about who is "up" and who is "down" monetarily, because they make an effort, and that is enough. Poor people don't seem to think about what I want in return for helping them. I don't count dollars, because I have plenty of my own. The effort in keeping a friendship is all I want to see returned. Sadly, that's very hard to find.
Rich people must struggle tremendously with the problem of someone always trying to get something from them for nothing. You see all the worst and selfish behaviors of humanity. If I were as wealthy as Notch, I would have to dress like a bum, travel the world inconspicuously, and hope nobody notices me. I don't think I would be able to handle all the "help a brother out" BS that he probably has to deal with. It must be exhausting.
Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
What would I do?
Well, I'd leave work so fast the door wouldn't come within a mile of my ass hitting it on the way out. While I *might* stay long enough to be a nice guy, maybe give the passwords to someone, I'm outta there.
People that say they'd keep working, not me. I don't understand that, I have PLENTY of things I like to do that can keep my occupied for the rest of my life.
I"d likely but a nicer house here in New Orleans...one in maybe Denver, CO to go when too hot here, and maybe one in Key West or somewhere near a beach when I felt in that mood.
Married? Hell no....why get married when you can now be free to chase pussy 24/7...or if nothing else, do the sugardaddy.com thing...cute, good looking girls, and you get to upgrade models at will without having to risk losing half your shit you own.
But more seriously, the world is your oyster if you are that rich. Travel, see things..hell, you can see and do a lot without ever leaving the US.
I have plenty of friends around the US, so, I don't really need more. I'd take care of them and their families (the ones that are married)...and well, just have fun.
I have never understood the lottery winners who'd just keep working. I've got a ton of stuff I'd rather be doing at any point in the day.
Heck, on some long times in between contracts, one time was 7mos...I'd wake up about 8-9am, go walk the dog...maybe jump on my motorcycle and hit the gym daily for 1-2 hours. Home for lunch, then maybe back on the motorcycle (summer/early fall) and go check out a new art museum or something here in NOLA...and maybe catch a fest or meet friends of mine getting off work at a bar for a few about 4pm....come home...lather, rinse, repeat.
Personally I never got tired of that easy life..and hey, if I was rich and got bored, I could always travel somewhere and vacation from that!!!
Yep, I'm sorry, I dunno how someone could be rich and miserable.
If it is so bad, gimme the money and let me take a swing at that type of life. I assure you, I'll have no problems.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........