E-Paper
‘Fly economy for fun’: US founder trolled for frugality post after she's accused of stealing millions
Jessica Mah faces backlash after claiming a frugal lifestyle on LinkedIn, coinciding with allegations of misappropriating investor funds for luxury expenses.
An American entrepreneur has faced some lighthearted trolling for a post where she spoke about the lifestyle changes she has made in pursuit of frugality. Jessica Mah, a serial entrepreneur, took to LinkedIn earlier this week to reveal that she has stopped flying business class, sold her flashy sports car, and made a number of other changes to live a more ‘basic’ life.
Mah, the founder of venture capital firm Mahway Management, said that her life today costs a fraction of what it did six months ago. “Frugality is back. And the more successful you are, the cooler it is,” she wrote on LinkedIn. However, her post has faced backlash from people who criticised her for framing frugality — an inescapable way of life for many — as a new form of status.
Some people also pointed out that the timing of her post was suspicious – it emerged days after Mah was accused of stealing millions from her company to fund her lavish lifestyle. According to legal filings cited in a Daily Mail report, Mah spent company funds on her lavish lifestyle and on gifts for her co-founder, Andrea Barrica, with whom she is accused of having a lesbian affair.
Jess Mah’s new lifestyle
Mah, a founding member of more than 10 companies, said that her glitzy lifestyle was making it harder for people to connect with her – and also for her to connect with herself.
“Lately, I’ve been enjoying a much more ‘basic’ life,” she wrote on LinkedIn on day ago.
As part of her new lifestyle, Mah rides the subway instead of taking cabs across New York City, cooks meals from scratch and flies economy “for fun”.
“Flying economy just for fun. Cooking meals from scratch. Riding the subway in NYC instead of hopping in a cab. It’s not about the money. It’s about remembering what it feels like to be grounded in reality,” she wrote on LinkedIn.
Mah has also sold off some things in pursuit of frugality, including her “flashy sports car” that, according to her, “made it harder for people to connect with me. And harder for me to connect with myself.”
Life in NYC
Jess Mah divides her time between San Francisco and New York City. She says that spending more time in NYC has made it easier for her to live more frugally.
In her LinkedIn post, she hailed New York as a city where wealth doesn’t matter. Even billionaires ride the subway in the Big Apple, said Mah.
“Here, no one cares who you are or what you have. Everyone walks. Everyone squishes into the same tiny apartments. Even billionaires ride the subway. There’s something democratic about it that I find oddly comforting,” she wrote.
The American entrepreneur said she has made a conscious decision to “live a life centered around the fundamentals. Real relationships. Honest work. Good food. Movement. Curiosity. Quiet. Integrity.”
Post gets mocked
Mah’s post on frugality was mocked when it reached X. One popular X account called it the “Humblebrag of the year”.
“That’s a really long form way of saying you ran out of money,” wrote one person. “Jesus Christ, rich people are now larping as poor people,” another said.
“"I'm better than you, but it is nice to be among you plebs so I feel humble every now and then. But don't forget I am more successful than you,” read one comment.
“Inspiring stuff. Choosing economy for the vibes while millions do it out of necessity. Must be exhausting roughing it with the peasants to ‘feel grounded.’ Truly the Marie Antoinette of LinkedIn,” another X account quipped.
Accusations of misappropriating millions
Investor Justin Caldbeck claims in his suit that Mah “misappropriated” money from investors to pay for private chefs, a $1 million private jet, her $16,500-a-month home, luxury cars and vacations to destinations such as Park City, Utah, and Burning Man.
Mah denies all these claims.
