- Famed investor Chamath Palihapitia tweeted a shirtless selfie on Wednesday,
- The so-called thirst trap went viral among tech members of the Twitterati.
- Here are some of the best responses to Palihapitiya's ab-bearing photo.
On Wednesday, the investor and serial SPAC-er tweeted a shirtless selfie featuring a chiseled, post-workout stomach.
The post was in response to a tech parody account's tweet describing Jeff Bezos as having the "ideal male body." The tweet shows the Amazon founder (who announced plans on Tuesday to give up the CEO title), sporting a fitted polo and sunglasses.
Palihapitiya had something to say about that, posting his workout selfie as a rejoinder. For the caption he wrote, "You're welcome."
—Chamath Palihapitiya (@chamath) February 3, 2021
And for a few hours, the anxieties of making it through a pandemic faded away. Palihapitiya's thirst trap was all anyone - or at least members of the tech Twitterati - could talk about. And the jokes were just about as satisfying.
"A VC thirst trap is actually called a 'liquidation preference,'" solo capitalist Alexia Bonatsos tweeted.
"This is not onlyfans," angel investor Li Jin said, referencing the pay-for-play erotica website.
Karn Saroya, cofounder and chief executive officer of Cover, teased that abs will become a new criteria for investors.
—Karn Saroya (@karnsaroya) February 4, 2021
We also appreciated this timeline from Matt Turck, a partner at FirstMark:
—Matt Turck (@mattturck) February 4, 2021
Not to be outdone, fintech investor Sheel Mohnot shared his own topless selfie in Hawaiian swim trunks and sneakers.
—Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) February 3, 2021
Not everyone was impressed
Other tweets admonished the investor for posting a shirtless selfie on Twitter, the industry's virtual water cooler.
"2021 is hard enough let's just not with the shirtless VCs," Kim Taylor, founder and chief executive officer of Cluster, an online marketplace for mechanical and electrical engineers looking for jobs, tweeted.
"Men of VC: let's stop posting topless photos of ourselves on this website," Hustle Fund cofounder Eric Bahn added.
Chamath adheres to a strict diet and fitness regime
Still, it's hard to knock the routine that's responsible for Palihapitiya's bod, which he also shared in a follow-up tweet.
- 2 days a week, he runs, lifts weights, and performs ab exercises
- 2 days a week, he runs and practices Pilates for mobility and flexibility
- 1 day a week, he boxes
- 2 days a week, he takes a leisurely walk with his family
Palihapitiya also said he eats "clean" with two "cheat meals" per week. And while he shuns beer, alcohol, drugs, and dessert, he treats himself to a glass or two of wine on occasion and very dark chocolate. He prefers 85% cacao.
And the secret to his Thor-like physique: "Sleep 6-8 hrs!" Palihapitiya tweeted. "No sleep aids."