People Who Worked For Literal Billionaires Are Exposing How They're So Different From "Regular" People, And It's Fascinating
Usually, I'm so wrapped up in my own little world, that I forget that there are literal billionaires roaming the planet, living their lives, and doing...whatever it is they do.
So when u/sunnybestie over on the AskReddit subreddit asked people who've worked for multimillionaires and billionaires to explain how they're different from "ordinary people," I pored through the comments. And here are some of the most interesting, eye-opening, or just plain infuriating responses:
1."I work at a really fancy hotel, and super wealthy people don't drive themselves, and they certainly don't ever have to park a car. They don't carry their own luggage, they don't clean, they don't make their own food, and they don't even open the door for themselves. They automatically expect someone else to be doing all of the little things. They also get overly flustered and irritated at small inconveniences."
2."She had a secretary for play dates."
3."I worked for a couple of guys that were worth somewhere in the $500 million to $1 billion range. They traveled constantly, never staying in one place for more than a couple of weeks. One of them doesn't even bother to pack anything. He buys all new clothes everywhere he goes and then just throws them away when he leaves. Or, I should say, his personal assistant buys him all new clothes everywhere he goes. He's not doing it himself."
4."She hired a private chef for a casual Tuesday lunch with her girlfriends. Spent $2,000, just like that."
5."They view life through the lens of time. Time is their most valuable resource, over essentially anything else. And anything that saves them time or unnecessary effort is worth whatever the price."
"No amount of money or power in the world is going to make days have more than 24 hours. Time is their ultimate finite resource."
6."It seems like a lot of wealthy people — or business owners in general — don't understand that employees do not have the same incentives as they do to work for their businesses."
—[deleted]
7."They have no fear when addressing anyone and no social barriers."
8."I taught at perhaps the most famous New England prep school. Some of my students wore jeans that cost more than my car. And I was amazed at how beautiful all the students were. Super rich kids don't have acne. (I'm sure they do, they also just have a ton of dermatological concierge)."
9."In SoCal, there's been a little problem with water, so fines were instituted for overuse — $10,000 a month for really excessive use. Water management thought this would really put a stop to wasting water! Folks with enormous lawns at their second or third home in Palm Springs considered $120,000 a year a 'gardening expense' and continued on as before. It wasn't even a blip on their radar."
10."They have people who handle things. I dated a gal whose family was 'well off.' (Her dad had sold his company for about $600 million). The whole family had a 'professional assistant,' Janice. If someone needed something arranged, they would just text Janice. Need a seven-course catered dinner on Christmas Eve? Text Janice. Need the semi-private jet prepped for a flight cross-country? Janice will set it up. Need the oil changed in the Chrysler Town & Country minivan (seriously)? Janice will have it done. Need access to the family's private ranch outside of Aspen? Janice will coordinate. I got to spend some time with her though, and she was paid very fairly for her work."
11."One old money-rich person treated me to a fancy meal, and she was super polite, nice, and tipped well. What struck me was her decisiveness and her confidence that everyone at the restaurant would cater to her. And they did. She wanted a dish that they didn't make that day, and they made it. The thing that stuck with me most was, at the end, she said, 'I want a cappuccino and I want them to put a design on it.' Like, it never occurred to me to just ask for everything I want all the time."
"And just so we all understand how rich she is, this is the same person who, on a business trip, hugged me after the flight and said, 'I did it!' When I replied, 'Oh, was this your first time in economy?' she said, 'No, flying commercial.'"
12."They have an expectation that someone else will always cater to them. I work at a really fancy hotel within walking distance of an Ivy League university, and the super-wealthy people just...expect certain things. Most people around them who aren't their friends or family are considered 'the help' (even if they don't say it out loud). They also feel pretty entitled to things, like they will just walk up behind the bar and grab a bottle of wine that they want."
13."My friend was a pilot for a very large aluminum business. The owners would fly for business meetings and my friend would make all the arrangements, including car rentals. These guys would drive off and go to meetings, dinner, etc., and sometimes they would just leave the rental car behind to ride with others or change venues or whatever. He tried to tell them the rental doesn’t stop unless the car gets returned. They didn’t really care. If it was any level of inconvenience, they just moved on. More than once, my friend had to go back and locate the rental cars based on their recollection in order to return them."
14."My aunt and uncle are self-made multimillionaires. If you met them, you’d think they were well off, but nothing spectacular. In general, they’re both very frugal. However, what stands out is when they were dealing with their last dog and his vet bills. He needed dialysis and no vet where we live could provide it. So they did their research and discovered that the best treatment in the country was available in London. A flat was rented for the six months the dog would need treatment. My uncle would stay in it for one week a month while the dog had his treatment. Then he'd travel back home for the other three weeks."
15."I worked in a sort of vacation community where a guy who owns a major company has a house. He was updating it with a sort of modern look and the next-door neighbor was upset about how gaudy it looked. One morning, while the neighbor was complaining about it in the driveway, the rich guy made a cash offer on the neighbor’s house. Then, he proceeded to continue his modern update on both houses, and he even built a walkway bridge between the two. That’s 'fuck you' money."
16."I know a CEO of a large company — didn't come from huge wealth, fairly self-made. He's a literal workaholic, 24/7, 365 days a year. There are zero boundaries between work life and personal life."
—[deleted]
17."For a rich person, anything illegal that results in a fine can be ignored. Lawyers and political donations are there for the rest."
18."I worked with their children in a professional manner, and I felt bad for them. They lacked empathy and basic social skills, and were just beasts to anyone they felt was outside their economic class. You would be surprised how much money gets spent on coverups, from sexual harassment to drug issues, because the parents are chasing dollars and ignoring their intended trophy kids."
19."They never talk about money. But, if they are intellectually curious, which my boss was, they're able to suggest things that anyone limited by a budget would never think of. For example, 'a small submarine could be useful to hunt for those lost things.' My boss did not end up getting a sub for that project, but he did for a different project over deep ocean waters. The guy values intellectual curiosity and encourages you to follow a thread to see what there is to be found."
20."I worked as the assistant to the wife of an extremely wealthy person. I had a close-up view of their family life. They inherited their wealth and were not self-made, although they both did have jobs. Obviously-poor people — or discussing 'poor people problems' in general — made them visibly uncomfortable. Once, I casually mentioned needing to get a root canal (the reason I was requesting time off from work) from having gone years without dental insurance because I couldn’t afford it. It made her soooo uncomfortable!"
21."I know a guy that just passed the $1 billion net worth mark. My wife is a senior exec at his company so I see him quite often. In fact, we work out together a few times a month. One thing I've noticed is that, while he has an expansive social circle, he doesn't seem to have any real friends. His birthday celebrations are always with coworkers. When he has 'friends' over to his house for drinks or an evening around the campfire, they're always coworkers. Even when he travels somewhere for vacation, it's frequently coworkers joining him."
"I don't know if it's because he had to be so ruthless building his business that he could never build honest friendships, or perhaps he simply can't trust anyone that isn't on his payroll. I don't know. I do know that while he does have a lot of fun and seems to live an awesome life, there are times when he seems quite lonely. I'm fairly confident if he could do it all again he wouldn't have tried so hard to build an empire and instead would trade it all for some close relationships with true friends."
22."They play the long game. They don’t really think about what will happen in the short term as much. I noticed that regular people generally pay attention to the short term and totally ignore the long term, or just have a vague idea of it."
"It’s hard to plan for the long term when you don’t have enough money to survive in the short term. 😂 Like, you can’t play the long game when you’re wondering how to pay a mortgage and eat."
23."They aren't used to hearing why something can't be done. Like, it is inconceivable that you would explain the challenges associated with doing something, or any obstacles they might encounter. The attitude is very much, 'Okay, so what is it going to cost for that to not be a problem anymore?.' This is the number one trait I have seen that sometimes reveals the ultra-wealthy. Normal people think about things in terms of cost (capital, people needed, skills, time, etc.) whereas the rich just want a clear path to, 'It's done.'"
24.And finally, "They are deeply unhappy. My most important lesson is you cannot buy happiness. As a person who has come from very little and has fought for every inch of my success, I savor every new experience I get because I wasn’t supposed to have it. If you’ve known nothing else but incredible homes, beautiful vacations, and dazzling events, nothing can thrill you. So you walk around empty — a belly full of empty calories and a hunger you can’t name or satiate. I wouldn’t trade places with a billionaire for almost anything."
Have you ever worked for a super rich person? If so, were they any different from the non-rich? Let me know in the comments below!
