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Ask Slashdot: What Would You Do If You Were Suddenly Wealthy?

Posted by Soulskill on from the buy-myself-a-politician dept.

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.

18 of 842 comments (clear)

  1. For starters... by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How about volunteering time and money and spend some time helping people in need instead of whining, blaming, and name calling?

    1. Re:For starters... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Go talk to Jimmy Carter and see if you can continue some of the great work he did.

    2. Re:For starters... by Anonymous+Cow+Ward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      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.
    3. Re:For starters... by frovingslosh · · Score: 5, Funny

      For starters, I could buy the name brand mac and cheese any time I wanted, not just on special occasions.

      --
      I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    4. Re: For starters... by Great+Big+Bird · · Score: 5, Funny

      Would you get all sorts of fancy ketchups too? Perhaps some Dijon ketchup.

    5. Re:For starters... by ndrw · · Score: 5, Informative

      I know you're trolling a bit here, but if you want specific evidence of something Carter has done right, check out the Guinea Worm Eradication program. The Carter Center is a major part of this initiative, that is reducing (with the goal of eliminating) a painful and debilitating parasitic condition. Cases of Guinea Worm have dropped from over 3 million yearly in the early 80's to less than 100 so far this year (W.H.O. stats). The Guinea Worm life cycle requires human infection, so once this thing is gone, it's totally gone.

    6. Re:For starters... by dj245 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      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.
  2. Trading one set of problems for another by erp_consultant · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Becoming wealthy (whatever "wealthy" is considered these days) comes with its own challenges.

    People with no money have very specific challenges: find food and water and shelter for your family. Everything else is secondary.

    People that have a job and shelter but not enough money have different challenges: Buying a car, paying for school, You have enough for basic necessities but not enough for aspiration items.

    People with lots of money have unique challenges: Who do you trust? Taxes become problematic. Gold diggers. How do you raise kids without spoiling them?

    It seems to me that the sweet spot is around 100K per year. You're not rich but you have enough. In many cities that is enough to buy a nice home and a new car every 4-5 years. It's a nice place to be.

  3. Do something money can't solve by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

  4. Obligatory "Office Space" Reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?

    Lawrence: I'll tell you what I'd do, man: two chicks at the same time, man.

    Peter Gibbons: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?

    Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I were a millionaire I could hook that up, too; 'cause chicks dig dudes with money.

    Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.

    Lawrence: Well, the type of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.

    Peter Gibbons: Good point.

    Lawrence: Well, what about you now? What would you do?

    Peter Gibbons: Besides two chicks at the same time?

    Lawrence: Well, yeah.

    Peter Gibbons: Nothing.

    Lawrence: Nothing, huh?

    Peter Gibbons: I would relax... I would sit on my ass all day... I would do nothing.

    Lawrence: Well, you don't need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Take a look at my cousin: he's broke, don't do shit.

  5. People can be leeches by Morpeth · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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
  6. The solution is easy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Realize that your life is yours to live. You choose your lifestyle, not the other way around.

    I've been my own boss for a while and I've grown a successful company. I'm a millionaire many dozens of times over. I drive an old Volvo wagon I bought used for $2500. I live in a 1500 square foot house. I buy clothes at Kohls. Only a very small handful of people know what I'm worth, and they are sworn to secrecy.

    I chose to life the lifestyle of a regular Joe. Here's a step-by-step guide to coming into a lot of money quickly:

    1) SHUT THE FUCK UP. Keep it secret to the best of your ability. If you can't, come up with a plan for that. But, do the best you can.

    2) Decide NOW what kind of lifestyle you want to live. Think 5 years down the road about the company you will want to keep. Birds of a feather flock together. White people hang out with white people. Rich people hang out with rich people. It sucks, but you have to decide now.

    3) Put the principal away, and pay yourself what it takes to live the lifestyle you decided to live in Step 2.

    4) Finally, and most important, change NOTHING right away (except, paying off debt is perfectly okay). Stay at your job. Don't run away. Don't take a vacation. Don't throw a party for all of your close friends unless you want to find out how many of them actually aren't your close friends. Just maintain the status quo and make decisions SLOWLY.

    That is the best advice I can give, from one rich guy to another.

  7. Buy /. by jimbolauski · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I would buy /. and make sure questions like these would be relegated to reddit & digg.

    --
    Knowledge = Power
    P= W/t
    t=Money
    Money = Work/Knowledge so the less you know the more you make
  8. Re:give $100 million each to best friends & fa by Quirkz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Until one dies of an overdose, one disappears into some kind of cult, half of the rest spend it all and blame you when you won't give them more because now they're entitled. It sounds like a good plan, but it can go bad pretty easily, too.

    --
    The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
  9. Re:Batman by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Actually, this would be a perfect idea. There used to be a guy in Maryland known as the "Route 29 Batman" who would dress up in a (really nice) Batman costume, and would go to hospitals to visit sick children and entertain them.

    And sadly, he was killed in a car accident just a few weeks ago, so there's certainly an opening for it:
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

  10. Re:Better myself by internerdj · · Score: 5, Funny

    You must be the CEO of the company I work for. Nice to meet you. Is this actual permission or do I need to keep "compiling"?

  11. Re:First things first. by meta-monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd hire at least two accountants and two lawyers, each to check the others work, and hopefully reduce the risk of being ripped off by either one.

    Also, occasionally force them to brutally fight to the death. With themed weapons, like one gets a 3-ring binder, and the other gets one of those staple remover things. Replace the loser with fresh blood. Keeps them lean and on their toes.

    I'd be a good rich dude, I think.

    --
    We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
  12. Money can in fact buy happiness by seebs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Anyone who thinks money can't buy happiness has never bought a week's groceries for a poor person.

    --
    My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/