Tech millionaire branded 'creepy' after offering $100,000 to woman on flight
08.03.2024 - 17:24
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A millionaire has been branded "creepy" for offering a woman $100,000 (£78,000) in the middle of a flight. Steve Kirsch, who made his money in tech, was travelling in first class on a Delta flight last March.
He was seated beside a woman who was wearing a face covering and Kirsch, who was accused of spreading Covid misinformation during the pandemic, tried to get her to remove the mask, The Mirror reports.
He initially offered her $100 to take it off and began offering larger and larger amounts until he hit the six-figure sum - and the female passenger still refused to play along with his offer.
The Silicon Valley entrepreneur, who was one of two people that independently invented the optical mouse, was stunned at her refusal. He shared his experience on X, formerly Twitter, saying: "I am on board a Delta flight right now.
"The person sitting next to me in first class refused $100,000 to remove her mask for the entire flight. No joke. This was after I explained they don't work.
"And I pointed out that when she removed the mask for eating and drinking, she could be infected with one breath. So she had full disclosure. She took off her mask as soon as the breakfast was served. Because everyone knows you can't get infected while you are eating."
He seemed amused at the situation, but many X users did not see the funny side. One person asked: "Did you have the $100,000 in cash? If not, you sound like a lunatic. How could they trust you'd pay up?" Another person replied: "They probably didn't think you had even $5."
Three days earlier, he posted on X about offering two other people $10,000 not to wear their masks during a flight - and the pair also refused.
He posted: "I asked the people sitting next to me on the plane if I paid