Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently revealed that, despite his vast crypto wealth, he still washes his own underwear by hand—a frugal habit prompted by the steep cost of hotel laundry services. In sharing this tidbit, he also took a playful swipe at the philosophy of pragmatism, calling it “wrong” and highlighting the absurdity of tending to such chores in a setting designed to eliminate them.
It’s an oddly compelling image: a billionaire founder hunched over a sink, wringing out laundry, while questioning a philosophical tradition that prizes whatever “works” in practice.
Pragmatism, which emerged in the late 19th century through thinkers like Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey, holds that the truth of an idea lies in its practical consequences. A belief, in this view, is only “true” if it proves useful in guiding action. While the approach is adaptable and influential, critics have long warned of its pitfalls. Bertrand Russell, for instance, accused William James of enabling a slippery relativism—where contradictory beliefs could both be deemed “true” if they served someone’s needs—blurring the line between genuine insight and convenient self-deception.
Buterin’s dismissal of pragmatism points to a deeper conviction: that the richest forms of life and innovation may not emerge from settling for what’s merely “practical,” but from pursuing the irrational, the idealistic, or the unapologetically odd—even in something as mundane as laundry. In a way, his confession aligns with a long tradition of wealthy individuals defying pragmatic norms. After all, anyone who’s ever run out of clean underwear in a luxury hotel faces the same choice: swallow the outrageous laundry fee, or roll up your sleeves for a quick DIY wash. Personally, I tend to go with the latter.
Plenty of billionaires are known for their quirky thrift—though I can’t count myself among them. Warren Buffett is perhaps the archetype: despite his massive fortune, he still lives in the Omaha home he purchased in 1958, drives modest cars, fuels up on McDonald’s breakfasts, and sticks to unassuming, affordable clothing. These aren’t mere cost-cutting measures; they’re personal preferences elevated into guiding life principles.
The ultra-wealthy are full of such idiosyncrasies. Amancio Ortega, founder of Zara, eats the same simple breakfast and lunch every day and works from an unremarkable office rather than a plush corporate suite. Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s late founder, drove a decades-old Volvo and rode public buses. Lady Gaga, despite her fame and fortune, has proudly shared photos of herself clipping grocery coupons. Mark Zuckerberg opts for economy flights and a wardrobe of plain T-shirts over designer labels.
Some habits push into the delightfully absurd: CEOs buying entire hotels just to avoid checking out, or keeping refrigerators stocked with sushi for midnight snacking instead of hiring private chefs. These are more than money-saving choices—they’re deliberate departures from the utilitarian calculus that shapes most people’s spending.
Which brings us back to Buterin. His hand-washed underwear and rejection of pragmatism offer a reminder: if pragmatism is about navigating the tides of reality, the wealthiest often choose to chart their own course entirely—peculiar as it may seem. Like a shipbuilder who insists on waxing his own decks long after he’s conquered the seas, their mastery lies not in doing only what “works,” but in doing what feels right, even if it baffles the rest of us.
The takeaway? Authenticity can look absurd, but it’s often the quiet force that lifts us beyond mere utility—and sometimes, apparently, beyond the washing machine.
