The 17 best toys of tech’s wealthiest executives

mark cuban jet

Greg Bishop/Flickr, Rob Kim/Getty Images

When you’re worth several billion dollars, you’re bound to want to spend that wealth on some extravagant toys. 

As it turns out, wealthy tech executives are no exception to the rule.

From sports franchises to private planes, we’ve rounded up some of the most interesting toys tech billionaires have splurged on in the past.

Google chairman Eric Schmidt has a $72-million yacht called the “Oasis,” which he charters out for $400,000 a week. The yacht has plenty of amenities, including a pool, jet skis, and a gym that can be converted into a disco.

Source: Page Six

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is known for her taste in high-end designer goods. In 2006, she had some 400 pieces of glass art by Dale Chihuly installed in the ceiling of her penthouse apartment at San Francisco’s Four Seasons hotel. Chihuly’s work typically sells for an average of $15,000 each, and the delivery reportedly caused significant traffic problems in the city.

Source: Gawker, Business Insider

In 2013, Tesla CEO Elon Musk paid $866,000 at auction for the Lotus Esprit submarine that appeared in the 1977 James Bond flick “The Spy Who Loved Me.” He’s said he wants to try and make it “transform for real.”

Source: Jalopnik

 

Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have quite the selection of planes. They reportedly pay $1.3 million a year to keep their fleet — which includes a Boeing 757, Boeing 767, and two Gulfstream Vs — at Moffett Federal Airfield in Silicon Valley. In 2008, Page and Brin added a 1982 Dornier Alpha fighter jet to their collection.

Source: CNN Money, New York Times

In addition to the planes, Larry Page has his own superyacht called “Senses,” which he purchased from New Zealand businessman Sir Douglas Myers for $45 million in 2011.

Source: New Zealand Herald

 

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is arguably the king of extravagant toys, with a huge real estate portfolio and a collection of fast cars and military planes to his name. In 2012, he paid more than $500 million for the island of Lanai, which he plans to develop into a model of sustainable living. Later that year, he bought Island Air to help shuttle guests out there.

Source: SF Gate

Ellison also has a 288-foot yacht called “Musashi” after a revered 16th-century Japanese warrior. The boat’s amenities include two master suites and a basketball hoop.

Source: Boat International

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban’s 288-foot “Fountainhead” yacht is the sister ship to Ellison’s “Musashi.” The two ships look nearly the same from the outside, though Cuban reportedly went for a more antique-inspired interior.

Source: Boat International

Cuban also owns three private jets: a Gulfstream V, Boeing 757, and a Boeing 767. When he bought the Gulfstream online in 1999, the Guinness Book of World Records named the $40 million purchase the largest e-commerce buy ever.

Source: New York Daily News, Guinness World Records

Virgin Group billionaire Richard Branson owns a 74-acre retreat in the Caribbean called Necker Island, where his luxury resort can accommodate up to 30 people. When guests get tired of lounging by the pool or beach, they can hang out on Branson’s yacht, the Necker Belle, or explore the sea on his submarine, the Necker Nymph.

Source: Virgin Limited Edition

Branson has always loved exploring the high seas. In 2004, he was the first to buy an Aquada, the world’s first high-speed amphibious vehicle. That summer, he set a record for crossing the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle, completing the task in just one hour and 40 minutes.

Source: Gizmag

For his personal use, Branson flies a Falcon 50EX. He recently sold his Falcon 900EX, which was too large for life on Necker Island. “I need a small plane just to get out of the British Virgin Islands,” he told Business Jet Traveler. “And I use that for shorter distances.”

Source: Business Jet Traveler

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates is known to be an avid reader, and his home library is filled with rare books selected by a professional book dealer. In 1994, he purchased Leonardo da Vinci’s “Codex Leicester,” a manuscript that dates back to the 15th century. He paid $30.8 million for the journal at auction, a price that made it the most expensive book ever sold.

Source: Fast Company, Business Insider

Gates has always had a thing for fast cars. Over the years, he’s owned a Porsche 930 Turbo, a Porsche 959, a Mercedes, a Jaguar XJ6, a Carrera Cabriolet 964, and a Ferrari 348. In the early years of Microsoft, he bought a 1979 Porsche 911 that he used to race around the desert.

Source: Wired, Dupont Registry

Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen has lots of interesting hobbies. His 414-foot yacht, the Octopus, is one of the largest in the world, and it boasts two helicopters, a submarine, and plenty of space to throw lavish, celebrity-packed parties.

Source: Superyacht Times

Allen started collecting planes and other World War II artifacts in the 1990s. In 2004, he opened his 31-piece collection — rumored to be worth many millions of dollars — to the public. It’s currently housed in the Flying Heritage Collection, in a hangar in Everett, Washington.

Source: Flying Heritage Collection

In May 2014, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer won a bidding war to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers for a jaw-dropping $2 billion. It was the most ever paid for an NBA team by far.

Source: Los Angeles Times

The post The 17 best toys of tech’s wealthiest executives appeared first on Business Insider.