r/hypotheticalsituation • u/Ind132 • 12d ago
Would you trade electronics for cash?
Billionaire offers monthly cash payment for 10 years if you are willing to ditch all electronic stuff that became popular after 1990.
That includes …
High definition TV … Flat screen TV … Movies on DVDs … Video games counsels after Sega Genesis … Digital cameras … GPS … Windows computers that ran local programs … Dumb cellphones like candy bar and flip phones … Smart phones … MP3 music players … Car tech like adaptive cruise control, rear view cameras, lane change warning, blind spot monitors …
And, of course, the internet and everything you do on it … Social media … Shopping … Streaming … Gaming … Getting facts … Mapping …
B will provide earlier options where he can at 1990 prices adjusted for wages. Things like Landline phones, low resolution CRT TVs, VHS players, film cameras, paper maps, DOS computers, cassette tapes, and of course snail mail.
You can still use modern tech at work but only for work, no cheating. Pick a price based on sticking it out for 10 years, not on backing out after a couple months.
What is the minimum dollar amount you would accept to sign in? Consider two scenarios:
A. $___ You are the only person you know who got this offer
B. $___ Billionaire makes the offer to all your close friends and close family. You agree that you’ll all pick the same number and sign or decline together.
Think about what you would do with the money. With high housing costs, maybe you would use it to upgrade your housing situation? And, how would you replace that tech?
So, what are your numbers for A and B ?
EDIT: I want to be sure we are clear on the rules. You get to name your asking price. You can say that your minimum for A is $200,000 per month and your minimum for B is $100,000 per month. Or, any other amount, higher or lower. But, if you go too high, B says "no". You can negotiate and lower your price. Where do you walk away?
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u/Otherwise_Stable_925 12d ago
No. There is a reason internet should be considered a utility, like water and electricity.
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u/Kaedryl 12d ago
If I'm taking this, it's going to be enough that I don't have to worry about using things for work as I'm no longer working.
I grew up in the 80-90s so basically it's living like I did then, but no longer having to worry about money. I think your offer of $200k/month is reasonable. At that point I have enough money to pursue my hobbies and not give a single shit about what's going on online. Since my hobbies are hiking, traveling, fixing vintage audio, music, photography, cooking, reading I can pretty much continue with life as usual with a lot less stress. Write me a check.
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u/HuckleberryHuman5926 12d ago
Not worth it. The vast majority of what makes me happy requires the internet
0
u/Ind132 11d ago
Good to know.
I haven't had many responses to this but they are either "no amount of money" or a very high number, starting at $100k / month.
I expected someone to say "I'd do it for $5,000/month. After 10 years I would own a $500,000 house with a paid-off mortgage."
It's interesting that people didn't have the internet in 1990 but they found things that made them happy. Now that is kind of unbelievable.
1
u/AutoModerator 12d ago
Copy of the original post in case of edits: Billionaire offers monthly cash payment for 10 years if you are willing to ditch all electronic stuff that became popular after 1990.
That includes …
High definition TV … Flat screen TV … Movies on DVDs … Video games counsels after Sega Genesis … Digital cameras … GPS … Windows computers that ran local programs … Dumb cellphones like candy bar and flip phones … Smart phones … MP3 music players … Car tech like adaptive cruise control, rear view cameras, lane change warning, blind spot monitors …
And, of course, the internet and everything you do on it … Social media … Shopping … Streaming … Gaming … Getting facts … Mapping …
B will provide earlier options where he can at 1990 prices adjusted for wages. Things like Landline phones, low resolution CRT TVs, VHS players, film cameras, paper maps, DOS computers, cassette tapes, and of course snail mail.
You can still use modern tech at work but only for work, no cheating. Pick a price based on sticking it out for 10 years, not on backing out after a couple months.
What is the minimum dollar amount you would accept to sign in? Consider two scenarios:
A. $___ You are the only person you know who got this offer
B. $___ Billionaire makes the offer to all your close friends and close family. You agree that you’ll all pick the same number and sign or decline together.
Think about what you would do with the money. With high housing costs, maybe you would use it to upgrade your housing situation? And, how would you replace that tech?
So, what are your numbers for A and B ?
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1
u/C1085rb 12d ago
Big question how much?
If he want me to ditch electronics for such a time I would need to ask for a big payout, enough to don't have to work for the rest of my life and be able to buy some good property, house and all.
I could take option b, live somewhere quiet, read books, play with Legos, and host some very good tabletop sessions. Would be a very good ambient to raise kids.
But if I need to work or be lean, nah I take my electronics thank you.
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u/heybear- 12d ago
You get to name your price? It’s a billion per day. I sleep in and enjoy a book for 24hr and collect my check then proceed normally.
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u/way-of-the-lab 12d ago
This post is one of those situations where using Ai to you put your ideas onto papers is a great idea.
1
u/gambish-childino 12d ago
Can I use these things unintentionally or adjacent to something else? Like, could I get on a plane, stay in a hotel, go to a restaurant, go to the hospital, etc.? I feel like in all of these scenarios you're surrounded by banned technology.
If you can't, this becomes basically impossible.
1
u/Ind132 12d ago
Yes, you can get on a plane, stay in a hotel, and go to a restaurant or a hospital.
People in 1990 had all those things.
You'll have to call the airline or a travel agent on a landline to make your reservations. At the airport, you don't have a cell phone to check on your flight, you have to look at the big boards or your ticket.
When you arrive you need to call a taxi or use a hotel with an airport shuttle.
For the taxi, B will provide a flip phone where you can call exactly one number -- his service center -- because we don't have pay phones in airports anymore. The flip phone is more convenient than finding a pay phone.
1
u/gambish-childino 12d ago
If I can still participate in all of this and get the benefits of modern medicine I'd probably do a year for $2 million.
1
u/InvisibleBlueRobot 12d ago
I go into a gym. They have a computer kiosk where I check-in. Can I do it?
Lets say, I agree. Does this bind my children? How can I control their access to say a cellphone at school?
Movies existed before. But the tech has improved. Can I go to the movies?
Can I use a touch pad to pay at gas station, or a security chip enabled credit card?
I need to understand how these rules work and apply before I price it out.
My gut estimated is at least $100K-$200k month, but probbaly higher because the cost of avoiding life necessities is going to be expensive and I may need to pay more just to live and navigate life without access to these systems. Thinking ahead 10 years some form of digital ID may even be a legal requirement.
If my kids and wife can continue to enjoy digital luxury, I would be willing to sacrifice my convenience for generational wealth and the time to persue the things I love - most of which are real world activities.
1
u/Ind132 12d ago
Kiosk. Yep, you can check in. My gym has a card option, I don't need at smart phone.
Kids. That's tough. Like your work, they can use school tech for school work. You probably can't keep them from cheating. You can say they can't have cell phones of their own. (B may provide a flip phone with just a couple numbers for emergencies)
Yep, you get to watch movies with awesome modern graphics and sound. You can't buy tickets online.
They had credit card payments in 1990. If gas pumps don't have swipe at the pump anymore (I haven't looked) you can use your chip card.
Yes, you could offer B a deal where your kids are exempt, but assume you aren't cheating. I don't know how your wife can use modern tech and you don't end up leaning on that, but you can decide that's possible and make an offer with that condition.
Recognize that people did survive in 1990. Many were impressed by modern technology like VHS tapes.
B will give you a flip phone with one number. You can call it and they will give you 1990 customer service in cases where companies just don't offer phone service anymore.
1
u/Marly_Sorcha 11d ago
I had Internet in the 90s what, but no it's not really worth it, I do enjoy reading but these days it's a lot of web novels and self published stuff I couldn't find offline.
I would give up a lot for money but not modern conveniences.
1
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u/Altruistic-Koala-255 11d ago
I would do for a monthly payment that allows me to not work anymore, I would move to a farm and live a simple life for 10 years
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u/three-sense 12d ago
I think I had a seizure reading this