Linus Tech Tips’ Jet
Posted by jrf1234@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 247 comments
Some… interesting calculations on this video. As a fractional pilot and not an owner, no idea how acxueate these claims are, but cool to see this as a pilot and tech nerd. Anyone with management or ownership experience in jets have any light to shed?
x4457@reddit
https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/243027623/c-fxoo-1990-dassault-falcon-900b
It allegedly just had a 2C and gear done so that's $1.5M out of the way at least. He's got another 6 years before it needs an odd C which is going to run ~$700K.
The plane's going to cost him ~$1.8M/year just to sit in that hangar, then another ~$3500/hour to fly it.
Expect him to have paid somewhere in the mid to high $3M range and sell it within 18 months after he figures out this thing is going to eat him alive.
dopexile@reddit
He lives in Canada, which is super high tax rate. Isn't he just going to use it as a massive business write-off?
He seems to have no idea what he is doing, regardless. He mentioned he considered putting a vinyl wrap on the whole body and wings, but opted not to because of "weight".
x4457@reddit
I'm not familiar with Canadian tax code, but I do expect that their business expenditure rules can't possibly be more friendly than the US. In the US, it's almost impossible to use 100% pre-tax money to operate an aircraft unless it is slam dunk, very clear, without question a solely business asset used for entirely business purposes.
Then he shows he took his family/friends to Cabo, so there goes that.
BabyWrinkles@reddit
Except he used it for content production, which is his primary means of income, so...
x4457@reddit
That's a very difficult sell in the US, I'd imagine more so in Canada. It has been tried and failed here.
Minute-Glass5709@reddit
It only fails over here (US, can't speak for CA) for the people that aren't really running a business. He will be much better situated with a bunch of views/revenue to make the claim than some random who just started a travel vlog.
RandomNick42@reddit
For a guy who's been pretty anal about his family privacy, to be suddenly starting a family vlog channel, I can't see any other reason why he would do that other than to legitimize flying to vacations being a business expense.
dopexile@reddit
IDK, he is blowing money on massive commercial buildings, multiple houses, the jet, a fire truck .. either he is doing some smart financial wizardry or else he is the next financial Mike Tyson trying to see how quickly he can blow all of his money.
RandomNick42@reddit
The fire truck is pocket change compared to a jet. Fuck, I could afford that firetruck if I wanted to, parking it would be a bigger problem for me than buying it.
Buying out his commercial buildings is actually one of the smarter financial decisions he's made. Took mortgages when interest rates were stupid low, locked in his location costs for the foreseeable future, built equity. That's a no brainer.
Smash champs, that was a step into the void, but it's a business that in theory can turn a profit. Labs on the other hand... well that's a cost centre that supports his (in theory) main business at least (in practice the main business he's in now seems to be merchandizing)
Galf2@reddit
the commercial buildings all have a return and the fire truck isn't expensive, it was an old truck, it made back its money already for sure
Tangential_Diversion@reddit
Nic Cage comes to mind too. His career stalled for over a decade as he took shitty role after shitty role to pay off his massive debt.
gromm93@reddit
Riiiight.
Americans are so confident that their taxes are super low, or if they try to compare it to Monoco or something, obviously super high, especially the whiny super rich, who are already managing to get that tax rate down to like 5% or less as it is.
The difference between US and Canadian income tax rates is made up entirely by including your health insurance in the bill. And we don't get ripped off on that too. And we don't have to sue our insurance providers to even pay those bills.
But yeah, super high tax rate. Stay away.
dopexile@reddit
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-hospitals-wait-times-9.7123684
Sign me up!
canuck791@reddit
I am step 9 NB CA in Canada and make 200k USD (280-290k CAD) and I am depressed every day about it.
Galf2@reddit
there's no business write off that justifies a plane unless that plane earns you money... LMG doesn't need a plane. They're going to use it for a year or two and they'll get some good content out of it, that will offset the costs and it will actually help if they plan their projects properly (ACTUALLY take the team out to europe for videos without dealing with airlines) but if you want a "massive business write-off" you buy more real estate lol
ReadyplayerParzival1@reddit
At least he had the foresight to register it with another company so that it won’t take the rest of the company down. I do agree that as soon as it has a heavy check come up he’s going to gawk at the price and sell it for a loss. Maybe his uncle is one of the pilots so that cuts maybe 70k a year off the operating costs but still.
veerKg_CSS_Geologist@reddit
LTT makes a fair bit of money, so this won't affect their balance sheet that negatively. Also because of the share structure it's almost entirely owned by Linus so he has a lot of money to play with. Monetizing the videos will help.
444stonergyalie@reddit
I don’t think they mean he’ll go broke he’ll just be shocked at the figures and pivot
RandomNick42@reddit
Of course this will affect their balance sheet negatively.
Enough that they'll go under? Of course not. Enough that they will have to eat a loss one financial year? Probably not.
Enough for a difference between 3 mil profit and 1 mil profit? You betcha.
darkmatter343@reddit
Even if the jet cost him $1M/yr to operate, he would spend waaaaaay under that buying first class tickets.
RandomNick42@reddit
someone did a rough calculation that he could charter a similar size jet for 2500 hours on commercial basis over a couple of years before he breaks even.
It's a flex. He can afford a jet so he bought a jet. But buying a Porsche is not something anybody really cares if you do, buying a jet.... the optics are not so good. Particularly for a guy who was vocally against private jets until he found out he can afford one.
roguemenace@reddit
Their math was hilariously wrong.
darkmatter343@reddit
Kinda reminds of of those people that want to flex so they buy an older BMW and they get one that’s maybe been maintained, only to realize their wallet wasn’t big enough that they can afford all the maintenance older bmws require.
Flying around in a 35 year old private plane, with an antiquated interior and non updated cockpit, isn’t a flex to me, now… had it been a 10 year old Gulf Stream👌🏻
magniankh@reddit
Seriously, why does he need this? Unless he's flying straight to Taiwan to pick up hardware off the production line for a fraction of market value.
RandomNick42@reddit
It's got transcon range, it can do transat with some positioning, but you won't be flying this jet transpacific.
comatrices@reddit
Very high number you're claiming for the plane to be in hangar; and you've provided no breakdown...
You seem rather concerned about possible costs, though I'd hazard a guess he's in a higher income bracket than you. I don't expect him to profit from parting ways with it, but nor do I foresee holding it to bring him financial ruin.
This is a very strange website.
x4457@reddit
I literally manage airplanes for a living.
MisawaMahoKodomo@reddit
What I want to know is ~1m for 6 months on the higher end or lower end? It seems around the range he is expecting to spend(?)
Theres also the aspect of it being used although since it sits about 10 people its like 300 per person per hour I guess
Fulcrum58@reddit
Reading shit likes this really makes me wonder how airlines make any money at all
wakkow@reddit
Credit cards!
nn123654@reddit
Basically yeah. All the airlines sell passenger tickets at a loss. They make a profit on Air Cargo and credit cards.
x4457@reddit
The thing that always gets left out of this is that the credit cards are a vehicle to sell more tickets. A significant, significant percentage of the credit card sales are spent on economy seats.
mfsp2025@reddit
And if you’ve ever scrolled on r/delta, you’ll see people fly round robins just to hit status for the year. It’s wild what they’ve gotten these people to do on credit cards on loyalty programs
Silly_Rub_6304@reddit
Mileage runs have been a thing for decades! As much as I'm into maximizing my credit card benefits, I'm also kind of proud to say I've never done a mileage run.
PhillAholic@reddit
Maybe it's their idea of going for a Sunday Drive?
RandomNick42@reddit
You've got mileage runners and mileage runners.
Most people just decide to pay a bit extra to fly Delta when vacationing, or they'll make an extra city trip or two on a long weekend. That's exactly what the airline wants and tries to make happen.
Then there's people who will spend a long weekend flying there and back on the cheapest biz ticket they could find... ehm (don't ask me how I know). It's usually a fools errand, unless you normally make status naturally, but you have a weak year cause you were out of work on a leave for part of it, or you got stuck with a local project or something.
x4457@reddit
Economics of scale. If you had 1000 Falcon 900s, they'd cost you a quarter of that per airplane to operate.
FlamingoVisible1947@reddit
Brother for 4-10% returns a year I'm sticking cash in the S&P500, not building a company operating a thousand private jets.
x4457@reddit
Gee, why didn't anyone think of that!
AbhishMuk@reddit
Something something the best way to be an airline millionaire is to start with a billion
nn123654@reddit
Even then I don't think you'd be profitable, you need way more than than that. At 13 seats you'd need to be charging well over $1,000 per ticket and you'd still probably be losing money.
x4457@reddit
Yes, there's a reason that airliners don't have only 13 seats. Correct.
nn123654@reddit
Definitely fair, if you had economies of scale you should be able to get those way down, but what would be the realistic floor? $3,000/flight
Also sorry for the edit, was trying to make it more readable; we had the same phrasing in the two comments.
It's a bit old but the FAA estimated part 121 at around $12,000/hr. on average, which is actually pretty good for how many people they carry: https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/policy_guidance/benefit_cost/econ-value-section-4-op-costs.pdf
x4457@reddit
I have no earthly way of quantifying that because operating these airplanes isn't designed to be scaled to that level.
But you can look at NetJets for an example of what that looks like when you get the unicorn scenario, they've got over 1000 airplanes in North America. They also have their own maintenance facilities, engine shop, FBOs, training facilities, etc. just like an airline. That brings those costs waaaaay down.
AviatorCFI@reddit
NetJets has FBOs?
AnnualWhole4457@reddit
Yeah we have several FBOs.
x4457@reddit
Yes, in a half dozen or so locations now.
inheritance-@reddit
Private flying drone cars should be much cheaper to operate. No giant complex engine, landing gear wings. Safety can be more or less ensured with redundancy in the motors and a parashoot.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
"This technology that doesn't exist despite dozens of empty promises for 20 years will surely outrun existing, well-established methods"
Iliyan61@reddit
tbf if you’re flying on a PJ tix would be a fair bit higher then $1500 and closer to business/1st
BananaFPS@reddit
Airlines quietly became banks during the mid 2000’s. There’s a reason why they aggressively push their membership rewards and credit cards. Airline tickets aren’t their only source of revenue.
Holy_Santa_ClausShit@reddit
There is a More Perfect Union video on this. Turns out modern day airliners are breaking even/losing money if they don’t have their premium seats sold out. They’re also making more money off their loyalty programs/credit cards now than actually flying the planes.
Saltyspaceballs@reddit
Airline economics are wild. The one I work for makes 2bn profit a year and only returns like 14%. Whatever numbers you can imagine, add more zeros
TheJiggie@reddit
Frequent Flyer programs and Branded credit cards. That’s pretty much it. The flying itself is barely profitable.
Sad-Improvement-2031@reddit
They mostly lose money on the flying side of things I believe. Really they are banks. They sell miles to their bank partners to give out as credit card incentives. Thats where they really make their money.
CMHCommenter@reddit
The don’t. They’re credit card companies.
Yoghurt42@reddit
Keep in mind that the best way to make a small fortune running an airline is to start out with a large fortune.
mvpilot172@reddit
They don’t really, they make it off their credit cards.
UziWitDaHighTops@reddit
You mean credit card companies that also fly planes?
poser765@reddit
Credit cards and incidentals.
CensoredbytheGOP@reddit
Never stop flying babyyy..
didsomebodysaywander@reddit
In the US at least they don't. They are financial engineering companies that sell points to credit card companies and operate at a loss on the actual airline side of things. Maybe break even.
Vesuvias@reddit
Seriously, I don't think he even understands the insanity-level of costs he's got himself into. The 'uncle' who he says was onboard with this purchase was very much just appeasing his 'want' for this. The justification is just maddening.
canuck791@reddit
He lives in Vancouver and will likely have it managed. It wont' cost him that much and likely won't sit around that much.
CensoredbytheGOP@reddit
He got Trumped.
x4457@reddit
He’s Canadian.
mikeinmlb@reddit
It's likely a deprecation play.
So not an expert in Canadian tax law so this is a huge WAG, but it looks like the owner can deduct 25% of the undepreciated capital cost (UCC) of the aircraft annually, So basically it would generate \~1MM+ of paper losses a year. The depreciation losses would likely pass though so he might be able to reduce his taxes by \~$600k/yr. Assuming he sets it up as a model where he basically rents it back to his main business and maybe offers it for rentals to justify it as a legit business. He discussed an exit plan already. Also, he would employ his family member to fly it. So basically, it would generate a bunch of paper losses up front offsetting his main business income. I am not into the world of jet leasing, but it does seem that if you buy a jet at the right point on the maintenance schedule, with the right engine plan, and the right tax structure to leverage the paper losses it can be a very good business.
PrescriptionTusks@reddit
This is key. His 120 person company has a healthy accounting department (including his wife who is joint owner). They wouldn’t do it if it didn’t pencil out. They most likely have a tax expert on staff. This purchase allows him to realize some of his $5m+ annual profit without paying personal income tax on it in addition to the corporate tax he already is paying. Spinning up a family vlog to create content allows for it to be a business trip. That doesn’t mean they get to write it all off according to local tax code but it does mean they get to spend pre-income tax money on it rather than their personal money so they can use that money for other things.
RandomNick42@reddit
He's long been reinvesting profits to avoid paying them out as dividends, projects like LTT Labs, Smash Champs, Tech House are all funded by that money.
None of them have been such outlays as the jet though.
LinusTech@reddit
I'm curious to hear your explanation of why I would want to avoid paying dividends.
I'm also curious to hear the numbers for how Smash Champs costs less than the plane.
It doesn't really matter. Just like to see how people think.
traumalt@reddit
Yea, LTT or Linus Media Group specifically is a private company with Linus being the major shareholder, Dividends would be going to him alone pretty much.
MisawaMahoKodomo@reddit
Agreed
Although I dunno the exact numbers I imagine something of this scale would have some effect
Though its hard to tell exactly what happens to the millions here or there
cody_hates_reddit@reddit
The part I cared about was the unanswered question of what he wanted to do with this thing. Around 13:20 you could see his soul leaving his body at the unspoken admission that he probably wanted to replace all of the avionics with a gaming computer or some shit, and was told that he couldn't do anything without a stack of STCs.
I cannot stand techfluencers in general and my only significant prior knowledge of this guy is an incident that made me reluctant to accept any "tips" from him. It's kind of astounding to me that such a person built a giant media company that revolves around his own over-the-top consumerism. I'm of the opinion that someone like this probably doesn't belong anywhere near aviation.
Anon332563@reddit
My bet is this is for getting him to conventions quicker and tech stuff arguably safer. For people like linus him and his team time is money so waiting in airports for hours on end and trying to find flights to areas less served by airlines or driving through traffic can be argues with private jet travel. However as x4457 mentioned with the outside costs such as upgrades, mx costs, pilot and training costs, it will be interesting to see if they actually did the proper financial planning for it and if the comments (didn’t watch yet though) of fuel being cheaper seemingly being the main contributing factor is just for the video or not, or dude got way into his head again.
ZealousidealGlove234@reddit
Charter for that, however moving film production gear around the world is a solve problem
yawara25@reddit
Even then it makes way more sense to just charter.
AncientBlonde2@reddit
The "it's like bedazzling a jean jacket, you'll never get back what you put in" cope took me out. That's like the one thing on that piece of shit that he could get most of his money back for in some capacity!
Mine was literally anything to do with audio. Just like this video, any video he makes about audio is posted to audio forums and the response is "damn dude really doesn't know what he's talking about, does he?"
KeyboardGunner@reddit
I doubt he'll own the jet for long, once those bills start rolling in.
albinobluesheep@reddit
The Fuel prices from the US-Iran war are going to cut this things owner ship life short, but they had to get the video out to get the views from talking about it even if those fuel prices don't have any expectation to go down anytime soon
DoomBot5@reddit
He's had it since at least the beginning of the year, probably longer. He's used it to bring his crew down to CES
PlannedObsolescence_@reddit
It's been registered to the address of LMG HQ since November 2025, that address is used for basically all their companies.
FlyingShadow1@reddit
I didn't even need to see where that link led to to know that that's when he bricked an entire RAID.
These techbros are toxic to the computer world, all they know is how to read off the back of a box and whatnot. Linus himself might have offered good tips many, many years ago, back before we started seeing people being gifted Nvidia GPUs to talk good about Nvidia and when AMD was known for having the worst processors around and being worth a fraction of Intel.
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
Yeah, he's in for a HUGE surprise
roguemenace@reddit
He's not. He'll know exactly what he's getting into.
This video is PR for his audience not to think he's giga-rich and out of touch with them.
BitterMojo@reddit
You got it. Dude literally has a media empire.
x4457@reddit
The size of his "media empire" does not support an aircraft like this.
Alexstankie@reddit
You severely underestimate how much he’s bringing in.
remc86007@reddit
We know how much he makes. He posted a video that reveals it. It is not enough to reasonably own a Jet. They might be able to do it for a short period, but they will definitely lose money on the whole thing.
LoungeFlyZ@reddit
No he didn't. He covered a subset of his businesses.
PhillAholic@reddit
Pretty sure he covered everything that's making money though. What wasnt included?
RandomNick42@reddit
Smash champs, which I doubt is profitable yet, let alone in 7 figures that it would need to be to move the needle, and a rental property, that even in the fucked up Vancouver housing market by definition can't be profitable enough (the property is a single house, not a condo building)
LoungeFlyZ@reddit
He also invested in Framework Computer, and HexOS.
RandomNick42@reddit
Yes, but only comparatively small amounts.
LoungeFlyZ@reddit
Correct, but you and I have no idea how those may have paid off.
nn123654@reddit
I'm always surprised at how much he makes but it's primarily because he hasn't diluted ownership and has always just reinvested or put his own money in for expansion plus been relatively cheap with opex.
As of 2025 and basing off of CPM for Floatplane and Youtube Subscribers the revenue estimate for LMG was somewhere between $35 million and $65 million USD annually.
By setting up clothing, products, and their own distribution platform, they have a level of vertical integration that most other youtubers simply don't. But their revenue per employee is still only around $400k-$500k if estimates are correct, which is not even half of what big tech companies generate.
x4457@reddit
Mmmm no, no I don't. I did a little digging before I made that comment.
memostothefuture@reddit
That would be an appropriate valuation for an established company with largely set growth patterns. Given that this is new media with more opportunities to grow he probably got a 8-10x valuation vs profits.
veerKg_CSS_Geologist@reddit
Also didn't he say a lot of his profits come from merch? I think that's grown a lot in the years since the offer was turned down.
HereWeGooooooooooooo@reddit
Yeah no, he's playing dumb to drum up engagement on it from people like you and clearly it's working and will continue for every video he makes about it.
victorzamora@reddit
He turned down a $100M acquisition offer not that long ago. I know that's not directly tied to liquidity, but.... that at least puts a scale to things.
I think he'll be okay
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
At $100 million, you can't really afford an Excel, much less a Falcon.
A long time ago, I flew an Excel for a family that was worth a few hundred million. They owned the aircraft for three years. It was the unexpected $100,000 hits that were the end of that plane for them. I was lucky to have seen the writing on the wall and to have already moved on. The other pilot wasn't that smart...
hellswaters@reddit
Yeah for private jets, especially older ones it's the unexpected that cost you.
At some smallee airport and get a mechanical issue that needs to be fixed before you can fly? You probably have like 10 things, each of which will cost you a couple grand, for the techs, hangar, and parts. Let alone lost opportunity costs/replacement flight. Or the first time he sees the bill for leaving it outside when it's snowing.
It's not the cost of the plane. It's the cost of everything else you need for the plane.
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
Exactly.
x4457@reddit
Nah $100M net worth with nominal returns and otherwise well-managed finances/debts puts an Excel pretty comfortably within reach.
x4457@reddit
$100M in personal wealth with normal returns is the bottom end of what would begin to approach being able to own and operate an older 900.
veerKg_CSS_Geologist@reddit
I mean you know Linus must be rolling in it because he bought his "tech house" in Vancouver which is the most expensive real-estate market in Canada and almost in North America. There is no way the revenue from videos will cover the cost of the house. Given the location of the house doesn't matter he could have bought a house in any small community for far far less. That's what a sensible business would have done. We can only presume Linus has so much money coming in he's not sure what to do with it.
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
Having a "Media Empire" has ZERO bearing on knowing and understanding Jet ownership.
His comment about coming out of this experience at a net zero suggests he may not fully understand this.
How do you make a million in aviation? Start with $100 million
JPower96@reddit
I believe the point of the previous comment is that Linus does not believe what he is saying. The previous commenter feels Linus knows it will be a money pit and doesn't care, but that he wants to portray it as not that expensive so people think he's less out of touch.
nn123654@reddit
Well, he started out with an actual strategy: "okay we can just buy it, shoot some videos, and flip it, and it should be mostly okay." If you don't put any hours on it you won't have that many expenses, but will still have relatively high transaction costs.
But then he started talking about actually flying it. And then he started flying it for Family Vacations to Cabo. At that point any business "we can use this as an asset" argument is fully dead. Then he started talking about it to his staff on a "we're going to own this for a while" basis, and it's very clear this is his personal money pit and not a money-making venture for him.
veerKg_CSS_Geologist@reddit
I mean it's not any different from his house. He's buying it for himself to use, and occasionally will make videos off it which will be a nice amount of bonus money but ain't gonna cover the costs of the whole thing.
dabflies@reddit
While some of the logic of getting the previous owner to put a shit ton of money into updating and doing heavy checks makes sense, the whole $0* plane thing is obviously tongue in cheek. Of course redditors can't be trusted to pick up on that, though
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
theres a lot of guessing in your post
JPower96@reddit
Actually, there's not. The last commenter's final sentence clearly states there thoughts, which you seem to not understand, so I tried to reword it so as to help you understand.
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
Yeah there is lot of guessing and supposition in your post.
jrf1234@reddit (OP)
Can’t see it ending in the $0 net he’s predicting. That “not much more than business class to Cabo” take is also a bit short given management costs, pilots, maintenance programs aren’t free, not to mention aging avionics that will need work if he plans on keeping it around for several years. Going to be interesting
CluelessPilot1971@reddit
Yeah, the variable cost of the trip just adds that, but then you wish have to add the fixed costs - insurance, parking, annual, whatever - these don't pay for themselves.
He managed to squeeze a lot out of the previous owner in the purchase agreement, he's completely oblivious as to what that says of the market for a 1990 jet (and how the next owner is going to squeeze him when he tries to sell).
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
Have a friend who has been trying to sell a G450 for the last three years... the market just isn't there for it.
There is even less of a market for a falcon 900
x4457@reddit
Yeah there is. Your friend is pricing his airplane way too high if it hasn't moved in three years.
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
No, thats not always the case
fireandlifeincarnate@reddit
...Yes, it is. The market has expressed that it's not willing to pay that much for a G450.
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
So glad you know what’s going on.
You dont
fireandlifeincarnate@reddit
Are you familiar with the concept of supply and demand?
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
Again, you dont have a clue about this situation.
x4457@reddit
Then what weird scenario is going on that makes this unrelated to supply and demand? Is the airplane impounded in Moscow?
Anon332563@reddit
Ok but me mr random redditor knows what is totally going on and big brain. Did you think to price it at $1? You’ll find a buyer then!
SciGuy013@reddit
He’s likely going to sell charter flights as well. It’s under a separate company
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
LOL, you don't just "Sell charter flight". It has to be on a certificate, which means it has to be on a controlled maintenance program.
If he wants to set up his own charter cert, he needed to start doing that 3+ years ago and be ready to spend at least a million getting the cert set up.
If he wants to put it on someone else that's also a huge upfront cash outlay
BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit
Bingo
memostothefuture@reddit
I agree there will be huge surprises (and a bunch of videos coming about that) but I am getting the feeling the guy knows that already. He is playing cute for his audience.
Which is ok, given that this is a channel with 16.8 million subscribers and a video with half a million views. I'd say he gets around $120k-$150k per month from Youtube alone (based on $8.69 RPM = for every 1,000 monetized views and there are a ton of really big videos on his channel). Add toward that sponsorships outside of Youtube and I think he can afford it, so good on the guy.
He probably did his research (he did get a good deal according to some commenters here and he does mention someone on his side who knows aviation) and is playing more cute and naive for his audience to make this approachable. To which I gotta say... fine?
BarnackBro1914@reddit
That seems to be the constant when it comes to aviation costs.
Acceptable_Barber_15@reddit
It’s crazy to me he’d rather spend money on this than pay his employees more competitively. I can’t believe Yvonne said yes to it. Linus has no earthly idea how expensive this is going to be for him. This project won’t last more than a couple years.
dopexile@reddit
I know, he has a bunch of talented employees leaving because they get paid peanuts, can't afford housing, and non-compete agreements so they can do side projects.
And yet he denies them pay raises and buys multiple houses and a jet in front of their eyes and brags about it. Very tone deaf management. Just seems like bad business; it is going to demoralize all of his staff.
He had a video where he explained the costs of the business and how it is barely making money and rationalized why he pays employees peanuts. It seemed like such a fake charade. He is buying commercial real estate buildings, multiple houses, jets, and fire trucks... blowing money like Mike Tyson, so of course the whole thing looks "unprofitable".
Acceptable_Barber_15@reddit
Yes. It’s disappointing. I’ve watched the channel for 10+ years and my opinion of the guy has really shifted over the last few years. He seems like a decent guy who has gotten wrapped up in greed or something and would rather spend insane amounts on things like this than give everyone a bigger raise.
Tbf I don’t know how I would act if something I’d worked so hard on and risked it all for succeeded in the way LTT has. Maybe I’d do the same thing he is. Either way, it bugs me to see the shift from what felt like a scrappy company that treated its employees terrifically to whatever we’re seeing now. It really has bummed me out to see it go this way.
dopexile@reddit
I'm a greedy capitalist, but what he is doing just seems counterproductive. He's just going to piss everyone off, and they are going to start rival companies.
roguemenace@reddit
It's been fairly clear that they're willing to hire people with little to no qualifications, develop them on the job and then let them go if they're no longer happy with their compensation. Whether that's a good business model or not depends on the specifics but it's mostly worked so far.
dopexile@reddit
Yes, but a good business person realizes A) Moral is important and B) They are becoming more valuable to a company over time, and makes an effort to keep the ones that are worth it.
Arteic@reddit
You kind of start thinking while you're working on your boss's third jet, if you're ever going to be able to buy a jet
Longjumping_Rain_483@reddit
They don't get paid peanuts though? They make over the median, especially living in one of the most expensive cities in Canada
dopexile@reddit
IDK much about Canada and don't really care, but they mentioned they could barely afford rent and had no prayer of ever affording a house in Vancouver because they are over 1 million
Longjumping_Rain_483@reddit
I'll let you know from now (as someone who lives here), every urban area in Canada is dealing with the exact same thing. I have friends here that are making 75-85k a year and they can never dream to own a house in the next 30 years (that's above the normal pay). All their money goes to rent, food and expenses, with none to save for a mortgage.
We've been in a housing crisis for years. I've seen the salaries LMG posted on their website, and the ones they've mentioned in their videos. They're pretty fair salaries.
Not trying to defend everything they do, but from what I've seen their pay is fair
dopexile@reddit
Well, a few of their guys left to start their own YouTube channel... so it should be pretty obvious if they were compensated properly. If they end up making a lot of money, they'll regret not doing more to hold on to them.
saml01@reddit
My guess is its not his channel or brand anymore and like many you tubers he sold out to a PE media firm and is now a face man only.
roguemenace@reddit
He rather publically turned down a $100m PE offer.
MisawaMahoKodomo@reddit
Honestly I would be surprised if it lasted more than 6 months (and apparently its already nearing that time frame huh)
His funds are not unlimited for sure so its only a matter of sooner
CA1900@reddit
I don't think he fully comprehends what a money pit a private jet really is. Him marveling that the fuel was less than first-class tickets for everybody is a big red flag that he hasn't really seen that fuel is only a part of the huge hourly operating costs, especially on a 37-year-old 3-holer.
Mega-Eclipse@reddit
I think he does. He's a content creator. There is 100% going to be a "Lan party at 45,000ft" video. It's like the big videos that Mr. Beast does.
I wouldn't even be surprised if he didn't already have some deal(s) with (e.g.) an aviation wi-fi company or maybe an avionics manufacturer, interior design company, etc. Where he either buys the equipment and the labor is free, or the equipment is free and he pays the labor and certification costs.
5-6 years later...he have a decision....He has a jet with mid-time engines, mid-time gear, [possibly] new avionics and high-speed inflight wi-fi, and his videos (likely) more or less pay for the plane.
If it's a money pit...he sells it. If he breaks even or simply enjoys having his own plane....he keeps it until the value is nothing.
Like, the math doesn't work for us, but for someone with a solid following like him, I think it might make sense. Especially assuming "his uncle" is already in the business. That guy is the brains, he's just the money.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
And if he thinks that type of thing will come anywhere near the ballpark of covering costs, he's either delusional or seriously misled.
veerKg_CSS_Geologist@reddit
I'm not sure how a Lan party on an aircraft is even remotely interesting. Modern aircraft have all sorts of entertainment systems and wiring, it's not something new or novel. Maybe if it was a "lan party in earth orbit" that would be one thing.
canuck791@reddit
I think you vastly underestimate how much money he makes on his videos.
FlamingoVisible1947@reddit
He has publicly shared numbers multiple times. If I remember correctly his number 1 most successful video paid $100K. That's a lot of money, but that's not paying for a private jet, especially when it's a one time hit video, and his views have declined a lot since.
Peepeepoopoobutttoot@reddit
Most of their money is from lttstore.com
Honestly they produce quality products.
FlamingoVisible1947@reddit
Yes but the topic is earnings through the jet specifically. The store makes money no matter the video, jet or not.
Peepeepoopoobutttoot@reddit
Ah, fair. My misunderstanding.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
For his sake I hope you're right.
Mega-Eclipse@reddit
Not quite. The real money is in the "TV show." Have you watched Clarkson's Farm? He makes virtually no money farming...but this is largely by design. Watching him come up with stupid ideas, charge in head first without a plan, screw things up, then have to fix his mistakes (often while Kaleb yells at him) is the value.
Paid sponsorships, ad revenue, just getting his name out their to people buy his merch...That's the value.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
Sure, but Clarkson isn't trying to self-fund a Falcon with that show. And even if he was, he's got a lot more base level financial backing than Linus.
albinobluesheep@reddit
"NOTE: This was shot before the us-Iranian war of 2026 it's inordinately expensive now"
This plane is probably never leaving the ground now
roguemenace@reddit
You think the changes in fuel costs even had an appreciable change to this things operating costs lol?
inaccurateTempedesc@reddit
He sounds like 19 year old me trying to justify a Ducati Monster because it gets 50mpg and would pay for itself in fuel savings
1202burner@reddit
My fuel savings just ended up going to a 1040 big bore kit and Evo cams for my Streetfighter 848.
nsgiad@reddit
Linus has never been gifted with the gift of forethought
EstateAlternative416@reddit
37 year old three holers can be pretty expensive.
ThatBaseball7433@reddit
Yup, he is going to learn though.
Shit-Pilot@reddit
Yeah, fuel is less than 15% of the budget to operate our company jets.
nn123654@reddit
I've done multiple pro formas and breakdowns just to see, and yeah, every single time I basically walked away with the conclusion that flying commercial was extremely cheap compared to business jets.
Literally only makes sense if you need specialized security for your VIP or can't accommodate the public flight schedule and hub networks (i.e. if you're stopping at a bunch of small towns and don't have time to spend connecting through hubs).
bae125@reddit
Biggest lie in aviation
KeyboardGunner@reddit
What lie?
roguemenace@reddit
Any part where you're not turning obscene amounts of money into noise.
RGN_Preacher@reddit
Gonna have to remember the pilot’s 7 minute mark response that the passengers are making the fuel economy worse by being up front.
RandomNick42@reddit
I mean, that is a thing? There's a reason why airlines want to load aft biased. I can believe it's a small, but noticeable effect in a mid cabin jet.
RGN_Preacher@reddit
It’s not noticeable.
Antares-15@reddit
I assumed he just meant that having to move the trim around would "technically" make fuel economy worse, but idk
RGN_Preacher@reddit
Look up in the PHAK what the difference in performance and flight characteristics are when you’re forward vs aft CG.
KeyboardGunner@reddit
Damn this Linus guy never shuts up "Oh so I meant to tell you earlier but we need you in the back, otherwise the fuel economy gets all messed up. Costs a fortune or whatever... Yeah so you better get out of here."
impy695@reddit
Past owner (sort of), and their numbers make no sense. I'm sure Canada is different, but the claim that a trip to the Caribbean from vancouver is cheaper than 1st class tickets only works if they don't factor in a lot of the expenses.
donkeykink420@reddit
I think that's due to the idea that it was 10+ people, but the math isn't quite right for sure
impy695@reddit
Even with 10+ people, it's not cheaper.
donkeykink420@reddit
I'm sure there's plenty destinations where it would be cheaper, probably not by much but it exists, and most destinations it won't be a huge difference all in all. I'd guess a lot of it hangs on hangar/parking fees and how long you stay
impy695@reddit
Yeah, but not for the trip he's talking about
AnnualWhole4457@reddit
He 100% cannot afford that jet. It'll be just like Grant Cardone dumping $70million on a brand new global and selling it with less than 100 hours on it. He could probably do fractional ownership just fine.
This will be fun to watch.
thehedgefrog@reddit
Yeah he 100% can't. He believes it'll be worth *more* in a few months/years because it has a medevac kit... I think he didn't get sound advisory on this.
MisawaMahoKodomo@reddit
Its not meant to be permanent so its like a temporary thing before he sells it to someone(?)
As for who will buy it I have no idea (or when for that matter)
badrew@reddit
He's going to have to charter this thing out, right? He can't just have a personal LTT jet sitting in a hangar
MisawaMahoKodomo@reddit
A good point actually I was thinking
Whether he has any customers is another question though
bigbyte_es@reddit
He should got the Cirrus Jet instead of that… operational costs with this one will be…
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
In fairness he probably wanted a jet that actually does something. The Cirrus Vision gets its ass kicked by the PC12 in basically every metric that isn't "being a jet".
RandomNick42@reddit
And seeing as the one legitimate business use this thing has is "bring a big team to cover a large event like CES", that also falls apart with the vision jet.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
Yeah, turns out corporate aviation is really fucking expensive.
donkeykink420@reddit
Not if you fly carpets, checkmate westerners
Exciting_Pen_5233@reddit
Whoever convinced him to buy this plane is the real winner here. lmao
KeyboardGunner@reddit
Sounds like his pilot uncle was the one to talk him into it.
RandomNick42@reddit
sounds like his pilot uncle tried to talk him out to it, but since he wasn't getting through, then at least tried to make it least painful as possible...
Exciting_Pen_5233@reddit
Im sure he was already convinced when he talked to his uncle. The salesman deserves a huge bonus for this.
HSVMalooGTS@reddit
These things are meant for multimilionares or bilionares. Not for some guy with a media company uploading sponsor "segways" to youtube.
frenchiephish@reddit
I mean, he is a multimillionaire, he and his wife are the sole owners of a vertically integrated 120+ staff media and merch company that is doing \~$250M a year in revenue, if his video on the subject is to be believed. On that alone, his net worth is likely tens of millions.
He is not, however, the level of multimillionaire that is going to own a Falcon for very long once the reality that it costs more than just fuel sets in.
HSVMalooGTS@reddit
They can probably squeeze it in if they make maybe 5 million USD in profit extra.
But why? Last minute 1st class tickets will be much cheaper in the long term.
RandomNick42@reddit
They can afford it. If he could convince his wife, they just about make enough to afford it. Is it going to make any money to recoup the investment? lolnope
querulous@reddit
they could have chartered (nicer) jets for the vegas, new york and san francisco trips for \~300k total. ownership makes zero sense unless you're using the jet weekly and you have a legitimate need to make last minute travel decisions somewhat regularly
Heavy_Notice3544@reddit
Skechers has two planes(I forget the size but about larger challenger size) in LongBeach that the FBO said runs them about $65-70k/month combined just for hangar space. Small for a large corporation, but still wild numbers to think about for monthly recurring costs for a single line item.
RandomNick42@reddit
Plane lives in Pitt Meadows, the hangar space is probably closer to 2 orders of magnitude cheaper rather than just 1
Geronimobius@reddit
I can’t pretend to know his finances but private ownership of these jets really only make sense for the most private individual or people who use the heck out of them. I can’t believe a netjet type situation isn’t better for him by a mile.
RandomNick42@reddit
netjets would be a fuckton cheaper for him, but then he couldn't make videos about all the things he wanted to do with his jet but Transport Canada won't let him
NobodyUsual8025@reddit
All that money and still dresses like a total dweeb lol
Guuggel@reddit
Dresses in his own merch
TheLongest1@reddit
Been involved in that sector a long time. If it’s legit, he’s a moron. It’s an old piece of junk, and you don’t make money in aviation. Planes are good if you have a big tax problem, that’s about it. Management companies will always promise charter but these people are like car salesman, you take what they say with a grain of salt.
Vesuvias@reddit
Yeah it's legit. Really thought it was going to be an April Fool's joke, but nope. He bought it.
polar8@reddit
He has a highly profitable media business based in Canada. He has a big tax problem.
TheLongest1@reddit
I know who he is. I don’t think you are aware of what a tax problem you require to sink money into a jet. He’s bought a piece of shit. He would’ve been better off with something smaller and a bit newer.
PhillAholic@reddit
Can you elaborate for a novice why it's a piece of shit?
TheLongest1@reddit
It’s old. As planes get older, they need more frequent maintenance/bigger checks, the avionics may need upgrading (which is Monopoly money) and things just need fixing. Throw in the fact that charter customers typically want newer aircraft (often a contract requirement), these old beasts just become paperweights.
Anyway, good luck to him. Not my money.
polar8@reddit
I think you’re completely missing the part where he’s in the business of selling attention and this just got a ton of it, even if he dumps it next month
WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@reddit
boy, is he in for a surprise
canuck791@reddit
Knowing what I know about Linus and LTT (I am local and have a lot of crossover with friend groups and him) I would hate to be his pilot.
He's a terrible boss. Worst of the worst.
Swimming_Way_7372@reddit
Im just glad he pronunces the manufacturer correctly. Every time someone calls a Dassault a Da-salt, I think a person meows on guard.
Zeraora807@reddit
da-salt ra-fail
8BallSlap@reddit
Wait until you hear how French speaking people pronounce English words
Swimming_Way_7372@reddit
You're not wrong but I would call out 2 points. The first being that saying "da-soh" is so incredibly easy to say. The second is that the counterpoint of someone (the French in this case) doing something shitty, shouldn't make us (aviation enthusiasts) not want to be correct.
8BallSlap@reddit
For the sake of argument, I'll offer two counterpoints:
Brands take on different pronunciations in different languages all the time. Assuming you are a native english speaker, I would be willing to bet you don't pronounce Volkswagen like the Germans do "Folks-vagen". There are plenty of other examples.
And the presupposition that altering the pronunciation is "shitty" in the first place is value you've internalized that I don't hold.
Swimming_Way_7372@reddit
I might be an oddball then since I don't say "Porsh" when I'm talking about German cars and I don't say "wagoo" when I'm talking about Japanese beef. I usually do my best to respect the origin of the words, moreso when its the company name but in general I try to get it close.
skywagonman@reddit
Come on man, we the The Salts around here
DatBeigeBoy@reddit
I mean I could understand a Phenom, or other light jet, but a Falcon? Bold move cotton, let’s see how it plays out for him.
tacomasgrande@reddit
A 900B!? These things were old when I flew them in 2010.
Zargothrax@reddit
You all must be fun at parties.
Klice@reddit
It's not like it makes it any better, but to me it seems a bit clickbaity. If you read between the lines, his uncle is either the owner or one of the owners of a company that provides private jet services. That company got a good deal on one of their clients' planes. Now, to make content from it, Linus makes it like he bought the plane, whereas in fact he just covers some operational costs while his uncle is looking for a new owner.
saberlight81@reddit
This video being the aviation equivalent of those influencers who rent lambos for a day for content would check out.
Hotasflames@reddit
This is probably what's really going on. He keeps saying "girl math" in the video and with all of the monetary comparisons he presented, they didn't just outright buy the plane and are planning on "dumping" it in the nearish future (probably around the next maintenance check)
CharlieMurphay@reddit
As a 900B pilot…ope. Hope he knows what he’s getting into. The purchase price is the cheapest part…
That said, I love flying Falcons. They are lovely to fly.
Kovaelin@reddit
His definition of "free" is the "rich get richer" version.
Drone314@reddit
because YouTubers have a great track record in airplanes....WGW?
fhorst79@reddit
As long as he is not intentionally crashing it for clicks he should be fine.
tesrella@reddit
C
Oregon-Pilot@reddit
Linus who?
Anyway, back to watching people like Guido, who, unlike whoever this guy is, actually knows about airplanes and can provide value to viewers.
fluckiHexMesh@reddit
Wait until he finds out how little RAM these things have
goodtimtim@reddit
70% odds that he knows how much this is actually going to cost, but is playing this up for the youtube audience (his first expertise) 30% he’s in for a rude surprise
LostHope152@reddit
It would be more cost effective to take out your savings and burn it, good god he’s in for a surprise
JakobUlrich@reddit
Gotta be an April fools video
KeyboardGunner@reddit
Nope.
definedsam@reddit
I'm pretty sure its an April fools joke..
KeyboardGunner@reddit
No, it's not.
SeaEbb6501@reddit
Have a friend who had a fan blade replaced for 100k. Maintenance will eat you alive…
HeadAche2012@reddit
Pretty sure it's a business plane, which means tax write offs usually.
Not sure how the Big Beautiful Bill 100% Tax Depreciation thing works, but if you own a business with real revenue it might actually become free until you sell it, hard part is having the business with enough income to write off a plane to begin with
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
This means advantages, not free money. And Canadian tax rules are more harsh than American, so...
victorzamora@reddit
Linus/LMG are Canadian, not impacted by OBBB. I'm not familiar with Canadian tax code AT ALL though, so i sure can't speak to write-offs. However, it's owned by an LLC (Influence Air) and it's definitely a business plane.... for whatever that's worth.
UnfortunateSnort12@reddit
God I hate this guy.
HotCompany8499@reddit
those avionics do NOT match the plane lmao
Razhi3l@reddit
The 900B is the model right before Dassault put on the Honeywell Primus 2000, so it definitely looks old.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Some… interesting calculations on this video. As a fractional pilot and not an owner, no idea how acxueate these claims are, but cool to see this as a pilot and tech nerd. Anyone with management or ownership experience in jets have any light to shed?
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