Bill Gates used to fly in ‘economy’ class for many years, Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph shares reason
The co-founder of Netflix, Marc Randolph took to X(formerly Twitter) on Monday and shared an interesting story about Gates.
For one of the richest persons in the world today, Microsoft founder Bill Gates can easily afford to travel by a private jet and live an ultra luxurious life.
The co-founder of Netflix, Marc Randolph took to X(formerly Twitter) on Monday and shared an interesting story about Gates. He claimed that Gates used to fly economy class on an aircraft, even while being a high net worth entrepreneur. Randolph highlighted that Gates could easily afford to travel in first class. He explained the reason why the Microsoft founder chose not to do so.
"For many years, Bill Gates used to fly Economy, not because he couldn’t afford First Class, but because he didn’t consider it good value. It’s five or six times more expensive, but only marginally better (and you all get to your destination at the same time)," shared Randolph.
The Netflix co-founder then reasoned why he doesn't splurge his money on luxuries unnecessarily. He explained why he doesn't aspire to own a luxury car like a Lamborghini.
"In the same vein, I could afford a really nice car at this point, but I’ve never been a car guy, and I don’t need a Lamborghini or a Mazerati (which I can’t even spell). A Volvo station wagon does the job just fine, and I wouldn’t value the difference. I don’t need to drop $1000 on a bottle of wine at dinner either, since I know I’ll get the same enjoyment from a $35 bottle," wrote Randolph.
In his concluding remark, Randolph talked about the use of wealth and time. He highlighted that having enough money provides both security and flexibility.
"So what is wealth good for, in the end? Besides providing security, it also gives flexibility. After all of the experiences I’ve had, the most important thing I’ve learned about money is that, once you have enough (by the previous definition), you can choose to have less of it in exchange for choosing how to spend your time. And spending your time doing something meaningful to you…that’s worth way more than a Mazerati," explained the 65-year-old.
