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RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

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Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#131

Post by _69x2 »

notadoc wrote: post #116

> Before the Kellogg deal was finalized and he was about to suddenly become very rich, Rahal got worried. “Can I seriously find someone who’s going to love me without the money?” This seems like an easy thought exercise to work through. If you're rich enough to worry about being loved for your money, then you're probably rich enough to have a second modest existence to date from (modest apartment, car, etc). So, don'…

I don't know if I'd be impressed if a guy did this.

In theory, this sounds like a fairytale, an ordinary guy turns out to be a multi-millionaire.

In practice, this means that he lied to my face the entire time, presumably got his family and friends to lie to me as well, because apparently the entire time we were dating he thought that I might be a gold digger?

Creating an entire separate identity because of your gold digger paranoia doesn't seem like a healthy behavior.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#132

Post by zackmorris »

Anyone out there achieve fsck you money? I have been between gigs this summer and brainstorming inventions. I seem to come up with one or two a week, but have only written down the most viable ones, so have maybe 20 or so that could provide FU money to someone, if a way could be found to manufacture them.

To be completely honest, this is why I find stories like this a bit disheartening. I'm happy for anyone that wins a large amount of money in the internet lottery, but I worry that countless other people will never have a chance to make it because they're too busy making rent each month.

If I had anything above the amount of money it would take to retire (roughly $2-5 million), the rest would go to grants and setting up inventor think tanks. I know that number varies, and mine might even be low (I live in the northwest), but surely everyone has considered a number of their own.

If you made it and are interested in funding inventors, open source projects, things of that nature, it would be great to hear your thoughts on being a benefactor for people who maybe aren't great at business but whose ideas could potentially change the world. Even anonymous replies would be a great resource for how to think about connecting philanthropists with makers.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#133

Post by _69x2 »

DubiousPusher wrote: post #109

If this article was trying to depict this man as thuroughl vain and void of humanity it could not have done a better job. He moved to Miami Beach to avoid paying taxes? This hundreds of millionaire couldn't just move to a place he liked because he was worried about his marginal tax rate? He bought a house that's empty and has accoutrements for a lifestyle he doesn't have or plan to have. This is a person buying somet…

I think you do have a point about him trying to buy what you are "supposed" to buy once you are wealthy.

However, I think that your robot criticism of entrepreneurs is unfair.

Street sweepers, cashiers at a grocery store, McDonald's employees are doing work that is way more repetitive than what an average entrepreneur does, yet you wouldn't call them robot-like, would you?

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#134

Post by AnimalMuppet »

motohagiography wrote: post #38

Just means you are responsible for deploying more liquid capital into productive assets. Have fun finding those. If you are creative and a builder, the people who made you what you are were the ones who told you "no," and now there are a lot fewer of those once they think you have money. Barring a few quality of life things and some freedom, the rest is just symbols and artifacts. That bit about finding a woman who w…

> That bit about finding a woman who will love him for who he is inside and not for his money is silly. In case he hasn't noticed, who he is inside is also now richer than croesus as well.

That's not who he is inside. As Gabriel Garcia Marquez said, "I am not rich. I am a poor man with money, which is not the same thing."

And if money isn't really part of his internal identity, if he sees it as something kind of separate from himself, then it's perfectly reasonable for him to want a woman who loves him, not just his bank account.

In fact, it's perfectly reasonable even if he has internalized his wealth. Who wants to be married to a gold digger?

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#135

Post by marcinzm »

notadoc wrote: post #116

> Before the Kellogg deal was finalized and he was about to suddenly become very rich, Rahal got worried. “Can I seriously find someone who’s going to love me without the money?” This seems like an easy thought exercise to work through. If you're rich enough to worry about being loved for your money, then you're probably rich enough to have a second modest existence to date from (modest apartment, car, etc). So, don'…

Would you stay with someone who lied to you for potentially years? Over and over with a straight face? They did it for their own selfish reasons although not malicious ones. Assume they aren't a multi-millionaire.

Now, would that answer change if you were simply given $100 million for saying that you'll stay. What if you had to lie to them that you still love them? Keep in mind, after all, they did exactly that to you for years.

My point being, a modest fake second lifestyle doesn't alter the potential distortion of money being involved.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#136

Post by Infernal »

ryandrake wrote: post #72
tachyonbeam wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I also grew up poor and now live comfortably. Having my own place with no roommates (or mentally ill family members screaming at me) brings me a lot of peace. Being able to just uber somewhere when I have an appointment but feel too tired to take public transit for 45 minutes makes my life easier. There are a lot of problems in life that you can make disappear (or simplify a lot) by throwing a little money at…

I often hear the “money isn’t everything” platitude from people who already have it. It’s gatekeeping. See also: “You don’t REALLY want to be promoted like I was—it’s so much more stress and work. You should be happy as an individual contributor!”

The bit about being promoted - I said that. And then after a couple years I quit and went back to being an individual contributor... management is not for everyone.

EDIT: Maybe I should say, not every promotion is a positive step...

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#137

Post by poseidonist »

ryandrake wrote: post #72
tachyonbeam wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I also grew up poor and now live comfortably. Having my own place with no roommates (or mentally ill family members screaming at me) brings me a lot of peace. Being able to just uber somewhere when I have an appointment but feel too tired to take public transit for 45 minutes makes my life easier. There are a lot of problems in life that you can make disappear (or simplify a lot) by throwing a little money at…

I often hear the “money isn’t everything” platitude from people who already have it. It’s gatekeeping. See also: “You don’t REALLY want to be promoted like I was—it’s so much more stress and work. You should be happy as an individual contributor!”

"management isn't really a promotion" from people who went into management and saw their responsibility (and compensation) very quickly outpace the people stayed as corporate code monkeys.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#138

Post by [deleted] »

misiti3780 wrote: post #74
Invictus0 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My theory is that the people buying the energy bars prefer that they taste like shit to make themselves feel more hardcore about whatever dieting philosophy du jour they abide by.

they are a good snack right before you lift weights ... they do taste like shit but who cares

[deleted]

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#139

Post by [deleted] »

biztos wrote: post #91
dvt wrote: post #51

I don't like articles like this for two reasons: (1) they trivialize actually building a company, growing it, and selling it, and (2), they provide comfort for those that don't have the drive/luck/privilege of getting there by arguing that "hey, money doesn't make you happy!" First of all, as others mention in the thread, this is hardly an example of an "overnight success" -- there are no such examples, barring a few…

I agree with your gist here, but once upon a time I was drinking beer in SF with a guy who was among the first dozen or so engineers at YouTube. He was a multimillionaire because he happened to be doing more or less the same thing I had been doing at about the same time, getting paid about the same, not shouldering any particular risk -- but he happened to be doing it at a company that Google bought. That really made…

[deleted]

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#140

Post by abawany »

misiti3780 wrote: post #74
Invictus0 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My theory is that the people buying the energy bars prefer that they taste like shit to make themselves feel more hardcore about whatever dieting philosophy du jour they abide by.

they are a good snack right before you lift weights ... they do taste like shit but who cares

I happen to like RxBars quite a bit and was upset when they had to do that peanut-allergy-related recall a few months ago. My palette is probably unsophisticated but the taste of dates dominates the flavor and I don't mind that at all.
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