Influencer claims 'zero desire for riches' while living the yacht life— internet shows no mercy

It's often said that philosophy is a rich man's game. While there is not much evidence to support this, there are some alleged examples that have gone viral in the past. Fitness influencer Jimmy Mackey (@thejimmymackey) was recently slammed for saying that he doesn't wish for any "riches" while seemingly leading a lavish lifestyle. Mackey shared the philosophical tweet on X with photos of him on a yacht, and it triggered an avalanche of comments roasting him.

Twitter wasn't convinced at all

Mackey, who is from Texas, shared two photos, one with his girlfriend on a private yacht and the other of the presumed girlfriend holding a surfboard on a beach.

With the photos which seemed to be from a holiday, Mackey wrote in the caption, “Call me unambitious, but I have zero desire for riches."

He then went on to describe what he wants in life. He wrote that he wants to wake up with no alarm, meditate in the middle of the day, train whenever he wants, eat well, and sip wine with his good friends. 

The post soon went viral amassing over 20.1 million views and over 2,300 comments on the platform. However, it didn't bring the positivity that Mackey may be hoping for. While some users praised the fitness entrepreneur for his thoughts, several users thought he was out of touch and being hypocritical.

"'I have no desire to be rich. I just want enough money to where I can do whatever I want whenever I want and never have to work a day in my life.' There’s a word for that. It’s called being rich," argued one user, @rbowlin86.

"Usually everything you described requires a lot of money to do," added another user @MightyKeef. 

As the post gained more traction, Mackey had to come out and defend his opinion. While he initially posted a joke about capitalizing on the virality of the post by dropping an online course subscription, in the comments he clarified where he was coming from. Replying to one of the users, Mackey said he had to work hard for everything he has achieved.

Some users did relate to Mackey. "I love this, dude. Resonates so much. I sold my fitness studio at the end of 2019 after an awesome ten-year run, and have thoroughly enjoyed not having an alarm to wake up to for ~4.5 years with similar values as yours," wrote user @SendingAVs.

Mackey told Bored Panda that he worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week for three years to build his business. He explained that he was now at a point where he had more free time to enjoy life with his friends and family, instead of hustling to build a  "seven-eight-figure enterprise.” As per his LinkedIn profile, Mackey left a career in finance to become a personal trainer and nutrition coach.  He now sells nutrition and workout plans online. 

For more updates and content on health and fitness, follow Jimmy Mackey (@thejimmymackey) on X.