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Comment by xeromal | Hacker News Reader

I think I generally agree with your sentiment but how are mega yatchs explained? They're not a practical choice because there's more rooms and resources on it then is humanly possible to consume either with friends or by yourself. They are only available to the mega mega rich. What drives a mega wealthy person to choose a yacht

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> What drives a mega wealthy person to choose a [mega] yacht

Private jets allow them traveling without the inconvenience of other people. Mega yatchs allow them having a private hotel that follows them as they travel.

A mega wealthy person has a busy schedule meeting with other elites, and they will often want to do that with maximum comfort and privacy. As long as the schedule isn't too tight, their crew can guarantee that the yatch will be there for them when they arrive, without the risk of having to see or be seen by lesser people.

The fact that the immense majority of people can't do the same is just the icing on the cake.

Having a fancy floating house boat is strictly the small beer end of mega yachts for the ultra wealthy.

Paul Allen's Octopus was so much more:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_(yacht)

[2] https://www.boatinternational.com/yachts/editorial-features/...

This is an interesting example. The wiki said he was worth $200B at his death, while his boat cost $200M when built. When he died it sold for 230M. So in a sense it was an asset, in that it did not depreciate (ignoring inflation). Though I’m sure it cost a lot to operate and maintain.

So he spent 0.1% of his wealth on this! Pretty reasonable budget to spend on something you enjoy IMHO.

He also put it to use on some exploratory missions, rescue mission etc.

isn't that 0.1% of his wealth?

For comparison, if your net worth is $500k, that's like spending $500 on something.

I don't think you've seen what a mega yacht looks like. My point was that a mega yacht is absolutely in excess of what any human being can use. There is definitely at least partially some form of status symbol wrapped up in one

The mega yachts are absolutely status symbols, but you should also see them as an extension of the private hotel concept - they're not just a private hotel for the owner, but for their friends and business partners, as well as conference venue.

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