A Japanese billionaire will give away more than $9 million to 1,000 people on Twitter to see if it improves their happiness. All they had to do to get it was retweet him.
Online shopping mogul Yusaku Maezawa will divvy up 1 billion yen (around $9 million) among the Twitter users. Winners will end up with a million yen each (roughly $9,100).
In an announcement on YouTube, the tech tycoon called the contest a “serious social trial” to see what impact a million yen could have on a person’s life.
In the video explaining the contest, Maezawa urged contestants to use the money “as they like” and to answer regular questionnaires about how they’re using it.
????謹賀新年????
【総額10億円】#前澤お年玉 100万円を1000人にプレゼントします！
100万円で皆さまの人生がよりハッピーになりますように。
応募方法は僕のフォローとこのツイートのリツイート。締切は1月7日23:59まで。
企画趣旨や当選条件などはYouTubeで説明してます。 https://t.co/kBgwwmJoaP pic.twitter.com/1Fr0Vq4i6Z
— Yusaku Maezawa (MZ) 前澤友作 (@yousuck2020) December 31, 2019
Almost anybody was eligible to receive the small piece of Maezawa’s fortune. All they had to do was join Twitter and retweet the announcement tweet before midnight on January 7.
More than 4 million people heeded his call and retweeted. A lottery will determine the winners, and Maezawa will personally notify them in a direct message within two to three days.
Maezawa also said he would contact the lucky winners afterward to ask about the impact, and called for social scientists to help analyze the results of the experiment.
Maezawa is worth an estimated $2 billion, according to Forbes, and has made a name for himself as an eclectic billionaire — a rock musician, hopeful moon tourist and high-rolling art collector. He dropped $111 million on a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting in 2017 — the highest price ever paid at auction for a work by an American artist.
