Linus Tech Tips bought himself a private jet and tries to convince us it was $0.
Linus Tech Tips recently revealed his new private jet: A Dassault Falcon 900B listed online for over $5 million – and his viewers are not happy.
A "Shockingly Affordable" Plane
Linus Sebastian can be seen in his recent video from April 2 standing in a Hangar in front of his new private plane. It is a 1990 Falcon 900B. The price for similar planes online is around $5 million, however Linus claims he paid less than that. More details cannot be said about the price because according to him, there is a non-disclosure agreement tied to the sale. He calls the plane "shockingly affordable" and lists points and arguments of why he bought this plane.
He mentions the great condition of the plane, which just had all three engines refurbished, a process roughly worth $1 million per engine. The jet had also just undergone a 12-year service inspection, with the contract ensuring it would be restored to factory specifications prior to delivery.
The jet looks very luxurious with gold-plated ashtrays, gold sinks and dual bathrooms, which Linus shows off on the tour. Allegedly, the plane was originally owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates, which explains the gold features. Also, it has a rare medivac kit, making it one of the few 900Bs with that configuration.
These factors speak for the plane being "basically $0" according to Linus, because he says he will probably recover the purchase and the bulk of the maintenance costs when he eventually sells it on. He also gave it a new name: The Millenial Falcon.
The Aviation news site Ground Control reports Linus and his team already using the jet flying from Vancouver to Las Vegas and back and also to New York, just in time for Linus' appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The site describes the plane as "a heavy private jet, considered the most luxurious private jet class
available."
Linus also mentions a trip to Cabo with his family in the video which he plans to take with the new private jet. He claims his will be less expensive than flying them all first class.
Viewer Reaction
Viewers are split on the YouTuber's decision to buy a private jet. While some think he deserves it and can do whatever he likes with his money, others are more critical.
Just recently, Linus had been under fire for the working conditions on his team. A former longtime employee spoke out against him saying his salary remained unchanged for more than three years despite rising living costs and he watched Linus build multiple houses during the time while he could not even afford one.
Many viewers now also (rightfully) criticize Linus for the effect his purchase and usage of the jet has on the environment. Buying and flying a private jet is one of the worst things an individual can do for the environment.
Moreover, Linus himself said that he does not agree with owning private jets. He previously critisized Taylor Swift and Elon Musk on his Podcast The Wan Show for their excessive private jet usage.
I'm personally kind of opposed to the private air travel industry. I don't think it sends a good message, I don't think it's particularly helpful in a lot of ways. There is a lot of things about it that make me uncomfortable.
That's what he said in one episode two years ago. Now it all comes back to him and his purchase seems even more hypocritical. Viewers are outraged at him only holding this opinion as long as he himself could not afford a jet and now that he can, he goes back on his morals. His whole brand of the relatable guy doing tech reviews has been crumbling more and more into the rich millionaire with a giant company but this situation now has put the nail in the coffin of the humble tech-guy next door. His comment of the plane being "shockingly affordable" does not make it any better.
According to AugustTheDuck, the chances of Linus actually getting all the maintenance cost back as well and also the flight to Cabo and back actually being less expensive than flying first class don't really add up. So his claims of the plane being $0 when it wasn't, speculating on the selling price (which will probably not even turn out the way he claims) seems like he is trying to convince viewers that it was such a good deal, he "had" to buy it, trying to relativize the costs and rationalise his decision. The whole video seems disingenuous and out of touch to the actual cost, environmental effect and needlessness of the whole thing in comparison to a normal person.
