Money doesn’t buy happiness, and Minecraft creator is not a happy billionaire indeed. It’s a tough pill to swallow and difficult to believe, and while the famous saying does ring true, it doesn’t mean that money equals misery. It simply requires more than wealth to become fulfilled.
For Markus “Notch” Persson, the Swedish mogul whose company Mojang was sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion, it seems that his wealth has brought him everything he ever wanted, but there are gaps in his life that have been caused by his sudden rich status as well. It’s a condition that has been known to afflict the ‘overnight famous and wealthy class’. However, it passes with time.
At least that was what Persson’s new famous and rich friends have assured him of when he took his complaints to Twitter. It’s difficult for the average person to believe or even grasp the feeling of isolation and unhappiness due to extreme wealth. Persson’s admittedly does not make things easier for the public to easily accept his claim and offer support.
The Swedish game developer has been known to throw lavish parties at expensive resorts or host events at his $70 million mansion, that he bought packed with around 2,500 bottles of wine and a candy room. Not to mentioned the fact that his lamenting Tweets were also coming when Persson was in Ibiza, living the high life and partying with his rich and famous friends.
To say that it’s difficult to understand his misery is an understatement. However, the 35 year old has voiced out his concerns and explained the unfortunate parts of becoming ridiculously wealthy with just one sale. There seemed to be no reason to keep striving in life when he already has everything he ever wanted.
According to Persson, his relationships have suffered, both with former friends and girlfriends, and that human interaction at its most basic level is affected due to imbalance. He stated that his biggest worry upon selling the company was that his employees and co-workers had a continued pleasant work environment, even though now they loathe him.
Some of his points are certainly understandable, and it’s avidly believed that no one would question his difficulty in making new friends. It becomes a luxury that even a billionaire can’t afford, due to constant suspicion of their intentions and sheer intimidating factor.
A few have suggested to turn his wealth to charities and focus on philanthropic goals, but Persson refused, stating that if he were to simulate Elon Musk’s attempts at saving the world, he would encounter the same undesired company that prompted him to sell Mojang in the first place.
It seems nothing would work, but Persson has stated to feeling better simply by talking about his issues. There is an understandable drawback, and a number of users have shown him support, though talking about apparently did help the most. Again though, charitable and generous donations perhaps should be given a chance.
Image source: kotaku.com.au
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