Shortly after Facebook went public, its first 250 employees, who were about to make millions in stock options, started a secret message board called the TNR250—the Nouveau Riche—where they swapped links to houses, jets, sports cars, gaudy art, islands, and other purchases they might make once they’d cashed out. Since then, billionaires minted via Uber, Lyft, Twitter, Airbnb, and dozens of other start-ups that have gone public (sorry, WeWorkers) have narrowed their wish lists down to a handful of esoteric riches that look cool on Instagram. Herein, their top 10.
Air-cooled Singer Porsche 911
In recent years, air-cooled Porsche 911s—i.e. any Porsche made before the late-1990s—have become a better investment than stock in some cases. And those made by Singer have a unique twist. Founded by an ex-rock musician, the company converts 1989–1994 Porsche 911 Coupes or Targa’s into bespoke art pieces that are still drivable, though the insurance cost might be a bit high. The vehicles themselves cost between $300,000 and $1 million. If you drive one on 280, you’ll be Instagrammed all the way home.
Gulfstream G650ER
Given that a good private jet, or “P.J.,” as the kids say, can cost upwards of $60 million, it would be easy for the Nouveau Riche to blow their whole load on one purchase. A good balance is the G650ER, which is only $66.5 million, but has a range of 7,500 miles, meaning you can get across the Pacific after a hard day coding.
A superyacht
You only get to use them a few times a year at best, they require a massive crew, and they can cost between $5 million and $500 million. But considering Paul Allen, Steve Jobs, and Larry Ellison, have all been superyacht owners, you’re kind of a loser if you don’t buy one too.
The world’s oldest sourdough starter
Silicon Valley nerds see the technical and physical challenges of bread baking as the perfect weekend activity. The older your starter—the rumored record is 4,500 years—the higher you sit in the pecking order of cool.
Art—sort of
While tech entrepreneurs go a mile deep and an inch wide when it comes to their business, they tend to skimp on culture. As such, Banksy, with his up-to-$13-million price tag, is their artist of choice. Hang “Balloon Girl” next to your ancient starter and you’ve made it.
Third, fourth, and fifth homes
Owning two homes? No big deal. Owning two homes in the same city? Now that’s baller. The richest of the rich have homes in Palo Alto and San Francisco, an hour north. You also want a couple in Seattle, New York, D.C., and Hawaii. To ensure privacy, buy up the properties around you and leave them vacant, à la Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page.
Sikorsky S-76C helicopter
There are plenty of helicopters out there that can get you from your pied-à-terre to your P.J., but when it comes to choppers, luxury is paramount. The Sirkorsky costs $12.95 million and comes with a state-of-the-art audio system, customizable bar, satellite phones, and plenty of fabrics, trims, and woodworks to choose from.
A trip to space
Sometimes it’s not just about things, but experiences. Trips into the stratosphere aren’t actually that expensive, coming in at around $200,000 per person. But space selfies are priceless.
A post-apocalyptic bunker
After the tech world helped get Donald Trump elected, its billionaires bought up properties in New Zealand and the Midwest with enough food and water to last five years. Prices range from a couple of million to tens of millions, unless you’re Peter Thiel, who just bought property in New Zealand—said to be one of the most self-sustaining countries on a post-apocalyptic earth.
A private island
Islands aren’t as expensive as you might think; some go for as little as a few hundred thousand dollars, others for a few hundred million. Whatever the cost, they make for great tech-free getaways.