How I faked being a billionaire so you could see NYC’s best views | Andi Schmied | TEDxVienna

All of us want to see Manhattan from above, but very few can do it from their own living room. While posing as an apartment-hunting Hungarian billionaire, Andi Schmied accessed and documented Manhattan’s most exclusive high-rise properties: for the duration of the project, she inhabited a fictional persona, Gabriella, a mother of one whose husband is an antique dealer. Complemented by fragments of the real estate conversations, the talk guides the audience through this elite world hidden up in the clouds, while highlighting its problematic nature. Andi Schmied is a visual artist and architect dealing with anomalies found in our contemporary cityscapes and problematic dead-ends of urban planning. In her most recent book, ‘Private Views: A High-Rise Panorama of Manhattan’, she uncovers the domestic spaces of the New York elite. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@clairebeane3455]

That first salesman was trying to hypnotize her!! “Imagine Gabriella”. 🤣🤣🤣

[@sagarshrestha5800]

I thought it was an acting.

[@misshearttree]

Imagine what they say to the men!

[@livefromtheground7274]

His presentation taste like creamy butter pecan and I was ready to sign on the dotted line. Lol

[@isaacasdreams]

Visualize... Smelll... Hear!... get all the senses!! What a douce.

[@j3ffn4v4rr0]

It sounded so scripted!!

[@christinadevito9525]

I’ve known for a while now that those buildings are usually always empty. But I had never thought about the shadows they cast down into Central Park and what kind of impact that may have

[@danielmankinde1706]

impact my a**.

[@ollivainionpaa684]

Of course they are empty. How do you sell an apartment that isn't? The shadow is just to describe that their purpose is to stand out for people and not for actual housing, just like a metaphor "standing in someone's shadow".

[@sowmeicheah9758]

10

[@BrendanMcGinley]

@@ollivainionpaa684 No, they're empty because the ultra rich buy them as a place to park capital and dodge certain taxes and regulations...many become a pied-a-terre a couple times a year, if that.

[@maxwell4431]

This is why in big cities when I lived in a high rise I always felt like cattle. It makes me very anxious that I wasnt high enough to have natural sun or view beyond other giant buildings full of people.

[@Kk-ul2ir]

These buildings are just big statues of wealth made out of glass and metal.

[@lanietzky]

I like the point at 15:55. That a billionaire's apartment is a landmark in society instead of a historical building. And that on average, 70% of these spaces are unoccupied. How selfish! It is a symbol of private surplus value as she said.

[@pyhead9916]

Send me money, I'll only take fresh Franklin's.

[@fantasticania]

wow! this is amazing! and really eye opening! the downtown of the city where I live, literally became one big construction site - and I can't even imagine how many of those condo units will be purchased solely as a way to invest money, by people who don't even live here, while the most of us can hardly afford to even rent a place in the city where we work. so sad. I really liked the observation the artist made at the end, how those monument of the financial disparity will remain for the future, and how they overwhelm the city skyline and cast long shadows on everything else.

[@donnahadana3812]

100%!

[@dada_is]

So many problems behind that tragicomic situation. Brilliant!

[@filipivan5125]

Billionares putting their money into estate instead of banks makes a lot of sense. It also explains why most of these towers have fundamental issues affecting daily livings so they stay empty forever. Sad they are ruining the cities tho.

[@livefromtheground7274]

Thats because after 100k its not insured, well one reason at least.

[@13ghosts18]

What are some of the fundamental issues affecting daily living in one of these towers?

[@Blitzwick]

You weren’t paying attention. The individuals who own these properties also own at least 4 other properties in towers on average across the world. So they have no time to stay in live in one place through the year especially if their business resides else where or wife doesn’t want to live in a specific area because of the season or other reasons.

[@chocolat917]

I just want to understand who they liquidate it when they want to free up that cash. It would take forever to resell

[@simoneXox]

@@chocolat917 yeah; good point

[@claudia_youtube]

Excellent! She has a point! Kudos for her and her BALLness (boldness)!

[@rebeccamd7903]

I wonder how many people we could house in these vacant buildings?

[@KayseReactsPop]

What an interesting presentation, her storytelling was very captivating. It's amazing how she wanted to experience something and was able to make it happen through her own ingenuity, learning new ways to improve upon her story as her experiences progressed. Then, to have a powerful message at the end... *_absolutely wonderful!_* 😄👍

[@studiocoleman615]

You gave yourself away saying you were actually going to live in the unit. I’d love to see comparable sun/shade studies of Central Park before they put up the “toothpick” towers / piggy banks for billionaires.

[@bikemessenger7]

imagine your child growing up in this apartment...yikes. I think thats the future. banks will own the homes, we will be renters.

[@teroliikala]

Great talk

[@retrodog63]

The golden rule always applies. He (or she) who has the gold makes the rules.

[@RDd188]

It's clear how boring is the lifeHigh net worth individuals & billionaires.

[@anatolydyatlov963]

I think I'd have a really nice chat with Edward. Responding in the same manner would be hilarious! "Imagine, Edward, that I purchased this apartment and finally took the burden off your tired shoulders. How wonderful would that be, Edward? Wouldn't you feel amazing if this sale went through?"

[@Arthur-eg7uy]

lmaoooo

[@someguyincanada8105]

LOL

[@tacobelle69]

That’s the greatest

[@alinarehman405]

lmao!

[@KC-lc8dx]

hahahahhahahhaaaa!!!!

[@Applefanatic1000]

The agent in the very beginning read “How to Win Friends & Influence People” about 20 times too many with his antics. I’d have struggled to keep a straight face with how ridiculous he was being. The title of the video drew me in and I’m glad it did because this was a great talk!

[@andersbodin1551]

Haha, sounds exactly like my old bos trying to convince me to take the job: "imagine yourself coming into this beautifult office every sunny morning", he must have read the same sales book

[@anyariv]

lol. Agree. I would have thrown up midway. I salesmen and he was so transparent with his sales pitch and robotic. I loved her point in the end.

[@TheKarthik1973]

Repeating the name again and again until the person hates his/her own name.

[@robrutyzm]

perhaps a goulash

[@philipm3173]

I unfortunately had to live with someone for a few months that buys that "personal magnetism" BS wayyy too deep. And it's from Joe Rogan ofc. It's scary because people are literally getting brainwashed by that stuff, he would listen to these nutty audiobooks about using your _subconscious mind to manifest reality_. All it really is is the prosperity gospel. It's vilfying normality and worshiping wealth. I think we all know at this point that the ruling class is far from being classy.

[@peacetoall1858]

This took an unexpected twist and I learnt something more about the cost of unfettered displays of wealth.

[@carynpinkston1939]

One of my first impressions was, "Man, this Edward dude is annoying. Does he ever stop talking?" When he moved on to saying, "Picture your little girl here," I got uncomfortable - he was using obviously manipulative tactics to try to land the sale. I swear, if a real estate agent ever starts talking to me that way, I'd essentially turn and run away.

[@chchwoman9960]

Yes so transparent

[@nambehconfort394]

I felt the same way lol

[@nikolarajkovic4595]

I got so uncomfortable i literally had to stop watching.

[@truthisfree7297]

Weirdly enough, years ago my wife and I encountered a cars salesman using the exact same approach. He put the heat on by saying over and over about how I would want my wife to have something nice right, something safe and fun - plus all the imagine driving to work, etc. We practically had to run him over to get the heck out of there. Does this approach really work ever???

[@zeroounce8874]

I would just tell him:-stop talking!

[@patnelson2091]

It is ridiculous that so many people had to give up their access to sunny views of the outdoors so some of the elite can have access to ultra luxury places that they don't even occupy. How crazy. In Japan, it has been illegal for DECADES to put up a building that would block your neighbor's access to sunlight. That shows where our priorities are in this nation. All about the money.

[@talktoeric]

Sunshine is extremely important to our health. Quantum physics positively affects biochemistry. This is a big missing piece of medical knowledge.

[@edwardmitchell6581]

That's libertarianism.

[@TheSherlockHomez]

you really think Japanese people have there priorities elsewhere?

[@tejashyap]

@@talktoeric Ever heard of “taking a walk”?

[@davidowens5898]

So....tell me....what's capitalism done for you these days....?

[@h.c..]

We are lving in a sick world. This pisses me off.🤢🤮

[@roxannlegg750]

I clicked on this reluctantly, with the expectation I would quickly move onto something else. I thought it would be about havung fun faking a high life....but how disturbing was the content and my inner reaction afterwards was. I hope her books make her insnely wealthy publishing the photographs. Thankyou for bringing to public attention a disturbing trend among the oligarchs of the world and how they are distorting the world most historic and beautiful cities.

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

Lol hardly any money to be made from books, especially just one. You can’t even get anything for a signed ansel Adam book of photographs and he’s super famous

[@generationadjacent6984]

Same, it was suggested to me a few tmes and eventually I clicked on it and found it really has some interesting content

[@ainemurray1191]

Do you not think it ironic that your response to this is that you hope she accrues the immense wealth she is critiquing?

[@therealshard]

@@ainemurray1191 not the wealth per se, but what is done with it. still, i'm with you - i did feel a twinge of irony :p

[@tahah.babikir7698]

Same here, I just wanted to see some pictures ..but the lassie's feelings and narration style are so captivating.

[@mijni]

"An ideal city cannot be dominated by highrises that only serve to symbolize private surplus wealth, at least, in my view." In my view, too.

[@gcg8187]

So what should the high rises be? I thought America was all about the individual, and if you're an individual with wealth. It's called private wealth. the American dream was about accumulating private wealth and being financially free and taking care of your family. You can have several generations of a family of people who don't really do anything with money at all. And you can have several generations of family that are being very smart with money and investing it. Everything looks perfect if you ask me

[@solarprogeny6736]

@@gcg8187 I don't think you understand. People who oppose private surplus wealth, also oppose all these things you mentioned. Nobody's cherrypicking here. We're saying down with the "American dream" and late-stage capitalism.

[@jideroland]

in a city with millions of buildings, somehow a couple of high rises is equal to domination, makes sense.

[@BillyRuckstar]

@@solarprogeny6736 What % of these condos are owned by Americans whose families earned their fortunes by serving customers in voluntary exchanges for mutual benefit? And what % are owned by wealthy individuals who want to park/secure their money outside the corrupt (and almost always non-capitalist) countries where their wealth is gained by other more nefarious means? The answer may be informative about whether American capitalism is or is not actually a problem...

[@JohnSmith-lk8cy]

@@gcg8187 In the UK we have planning rules that don't allow new buildings to block others light. That's the only problem I have. But having said that I wouldn't ever live in a city because no sunlight is par for the course. You have to expect that every inch including the airspace will be occupied.

[@Nilaratna]

I was expecting a funny KZbinr kind of video/talk with all kinds of antics... but this was actually so interesting and thought-provoking. I appreciate the insights she gathered throughout her experiment, and her conclusions were downright sobering. She's a lovely presenter and the book she published looks aesthetically pleasing enough to belong in one of those luxury apartments. Sad that they're mostly empty. Even sadder the long shadows they cast at certain times of the day. : (

[@betamax1091]

What's the commission on $80,000,000.00?? I'd join Toastmasters and become a storyteller as well. loll..

[@laverite1050]

"Between 90,000 and 230,000 migrating birds die from collisions with glass in New York City each year, according to NYC Audubon. Nationwide, the death toll is as high as 1 billion. NYC Audubon has been monitoring these incidents through Project Safe Flight since 1997 to help reduce future collisions."

[@eileenh4927]

It's so frustrating to hear that all these buildings are empty when there's so many people needing a home

[@donnabenson6900]

I know it's ridiculous!! The absurdity of the money that the 1 percent just park all over the world. When others struggle just to keep a roof over their heads.

[@livefromtheground7274]

Facts

[@kayrealist9793]

Perhaps they should require 25% to go to the homeless? 🙂

[@chrisallum9044]

why? if i live and work ac cross the world as most billionaires do I would like a home rather than hotel. If i own 5 as she suggested 80% would be empty at any one time. The fact that they are empty demonstrates they are not investments but expenses. An investment is a property you own that is occupied and paid for. The other time one is empty is during work/improvements construction. The only genuine issue mentioned was the casting of shadows.

[@chrisallum9044]

@@donnabenson6900 it's not absurd. Elon for example made a business. He owns most of that. The businesses value grows over the years and as he owns it he is a billionaire. It's not like Scrooge McDuck and his massive gold stash....although the truth about that story was each coin was a memory rather than simply money, that detail got a bit lost over the years. It's the Pareto distribution, it exists in so many situations and this is one.

[@whodat4124]

WHAT an interesting, revealing experiment. SO much here to dig into about the elite, who holds the wealth and the "towering over "of others with these buildings and intentions of WHY they were built.

[@SteveGriendling]

this is a subliminal tool in a lot of other facets as well. employers/interviewers may make their seat slightly higher than the employee or interviewee on the other side of the table. it's also done in film to convey power, intimidation and strength. it's totally psychological.

[@sk66G]

This sales guy would me so put off...

[@SafetyKitten]

He sounds like an epstein

[@deandrealexander6172]

Dyslexia ?

[@klikbayt]

Can't believe those boomers were able to get that kind of job with those mediocre af sales skills

[@girl6girl6]

@@deandrealexander6172 no…he’s channeling Yoda…or Jar-Jar Binks

[@clairebeane3455]

He sounds like a hypnotist.

[@i9avici7a5]

I think the part that never dawned on me was that they cast a shadow. The billionaire condo actually puts shade on dwellings where people actually live. It’s like another sense of surveillance and control.

[@nonametosee4456]

Yes, and, lack of sunlight, especially in cities is actually causing diagnosable illnesses, physical and psychological.

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

@@nonametosee4456 exactly

[@AvishaiGreenstein]

You think they are surveilling us or controlling us. But really they don't even know we exist.

[@nonametosee4456]

@@AvishaiGreenstein They don't see most other people, literally because most of them do not walk the neighborhoods, and don't even live in their "homes". However, IF they do happen to notice any of us, they do not think of us people, if we are not in their socio-economic class. Interesting because many, not all of the top 1% do not know what it is like to be human. Many children born extremely rich have admitted having severe anxiety and depression and health problems and substance abuse issues because that non-human way of being -alone really and apart from he real world- and feeling like they do not have a purpose or a real passion and contribute in a real human way to society (writing a big check doesn't psychologically have the same effect as helping someone jump their car, for example), causes extreme unhappiness and an inability to be satisfied and grateful.

[@i9avici7a5]

@@AvishaiGreenstein and they don’t care to know us!

[@shahzad-parkar]

Excellent talk! Easily relatable to fake world. The end quote is simply thoughtful, "An ideal city cannot be dominated by high-rises that only serve to symbolise private surplus wealth".

[@chrisallum9044]

to bad that's not at all what they are and her character dictated how she was treated. She thinks these expenses are investments...they aren't. They are expenses that lose money over time. Notice she mentioned owned 5 across the world and billionaires tend to work in various cities. If I own 5 homes 4 are empty at a time aka 80%. Cheaper and better than hotels. That is the closest thing to "investment" about these. A home is an expense. It is an investment if you rent it out or improve it to resell it.

[@Danisearly20s]

@@chrisallum9044 if you buy a house in full and let property values rise over time it is an investment (and that's without renting it out or reselling it).

[@kaliascythes2454]

@@Danisearly20s a legitimate tactic I despise

[@ollivainionpaa684]

What is fake about milking from those who has money? It should be eye opening experience instead: "Oh, that is what the buildings are for".

[@kaliascythes2454]

@@ollivainionpaa684 well problem isn’t necessarily that, it’s that the resources and land used to build the building and living space for something not even being fully used. I don’t mind if you try and milk the rich out of their money but when it litterally puts the poor under their shade and could’ve been used to hold lots of housing spaces it’s instead left empty and sitting there

[@theoptimistsvlog9516]

Just finished watching "Inventing Anna" on Netflix and then got this video suggestion on youTube, thought what a coincidence, and clicked the video with the expectation to find out some resemblances with Anna. But what I learned is incredible! So many necessary points to think of. And what a great talk! Perfect example of presenting facts without imposing judgment. Glad that I clicked on the video!!!

[@seanreynoldscs]

The root of the issue is that the developers were allowed time and time again to get around the actual building codes of the city. People need to hold their politicians accountable.

[@chrisallum9044]

What issue? The only issue mentioned was the casting of shadows. I would expect there to be rules restricting that

[@seanreynoldscs]

@@chrisallum9044 Yeah, good point... she didn't discuss the controversy. There are zoning height limits for the size of a building, and they got around them by making them pencil thin and by buying all of the air rights from the other locations in the block. They also got around the zoning by putting service floors between residential floors there by elevating overall building height while skirting the zoning limits on floor to area ratio... I don't know... personally I do like the way they look, but I don't live in NYC. It seems like if people wanted the zoning rules for a reason, and it seems shady to allow people to get around them by exploiting loopholes... but round and round we go :)

[@anyariv]

That was Trump's doing

[@seanreynoldscs]

@@anyariv fair enough. And they had 40 years to close the loophole before the loophole got so extreme that it changed the skyline and Central Park shadows for ever.

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

@@seanreynoldscs thanks for the info, I’ve been wondering how they got around it thinking the city planner was responsible but those details make sense now especially about it being skinny

[@mohavie2360]

wow.. very interesting.. i did NOT know most of these buildings are sitting empty from rick oligs around the world to park their wealth. thank you for this vid.

[@mcOscarmann]

with that tittle... i though it would be somethin funny, ot misteryous at best, but what a surprise! I think this is the type of thinking everyone should have, at least a little momment each week.

[@jimmyscircus9352]

Tittle hehe my new fav word

[@vincentpham8605]

It's the title that intrigued me. This story was so fascinating

[@heatherlynn8911]

The best Ted talk I have ever seen!!

[@ubiquitous9105]

Excellent talk! It wasn't something I expected when I read the title, I thought it would be a jest. So insightful. In fact I relate to this video well, I live in a neighborhood where I see this happening to my own home. There's a luxury higher rise apartment complex recently built close to my apartment and the beautiful sunrise I used to wake up to throughout my childhood has vanished away. The cherry blossom trees don't flower well anymore either. Makes me feel gloomy because I have to keep the lights on during the day, and the pandemic hasn't helped in the last 2 years either. The worst is as the speaker said, most apartments are empty.

[@MrJohnsolomon]

@@deletedaccoun Not sure those people are touchable. Once they have permission to build, only the local authorities are responsible. But they're paid off.

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

Sue the city planner, that sucks cherry blossoms are my absolute favorite 😭

[@IsaBetaBug]

I'm so sorry. Yes these systems have real and sad consequences. Must be addressed

[@mnwilliams386]

♥️

[@NathanHarrison7]

That salesman! Wow. Didn’t think anyone sold anything like that anymore. Horrible.

[@julienickel3568]

She turned her curiosity into a powerful social talking point. I haven't read any comments on how she was treated based on the fact that she was a woman. She was treated like an accessory or trinket. The effect these buildings have on the environment is deviating alone but they way those who build and those who buy have zero regard for the lives of everyone and everything but themselves and their fortunes is unconscionable.

[@anysdev]

To be fair that's kind of how she set it up, making her 'husband' the breadwinner by choosing someone who would pass as rich and successful and appear to be the source of her wealth. It makes sense that they would focus on financials with him while also trying to target him emotionally via her. If she'd presented herself as a businesswoman who'd made all of her money herself then I'm sure the conversations with her would be much more financial.

[@Sky-Child]

@@anysdev actually, the first question was "Who is Gabriella's husband?" Massive assumptions right from the get go. Would be interesting to see the reactions if she had said she does not have one and is a single mother/business woman.

[@anysdev]

@@Sky-Child Yeah I'd be interested to see how that would go. I guess it'd be harder to get away with though because then they'd expect to be able to have a more financial discussion and it'd be easier to see that she's not who she's claiming to be.

[@FocusedVoices]

Just watched "Inventing Anna" so this is an interesting perspective.

[@patrickbarrera3377]

Did you see the woman in the audience that looked like her?= towards the beginning?

[@katye02]

The sales pith in the beginning though 🤣

[@questionmark8046]

I would have asked him to please stop haha! Not sure whether or not such sales pitches are the standard over there.

[@pattimcd3177]

Agreed. The sales pitch in the beginning would have turned me away from the sale.

[@pattimcd3177]

I loved this presentation. So this is how Billionaires live? I’ll take my Mountain View’s of Montana any day over skyscrapers in New York.

[@clairebeane3455]

He sounded like he was trying (unsuccessfully) to hypnotize her. 🤣

[@cygmatic9064]

He might have taken a course on neurolinguistic programming or something similar… and now try really hard to affect her decision. The constant repeating of her name stands out, as well the repeated use of “imagine”.

[@enochbcn2009]

I set myself watching this talk with completely wrong expectations, given how it develops. It’s actually very impressive and eye-opening.

[@mireiallamasbejar1345]

AMAZING

[@MissBehaving888]

Sunlight is becoming a privilege 😔

[@lbaker705]

He kept repeating her name over and over and over like he read some listicle real estate tips about making it a personalized experience.

[@MichaelMaurice]

This is so accurate!

[@tara1555]

You didn’t lose my attention for even a second. Such a great Ted talk and one of the most powerful ending sentences in a Ted talk.

[@MichaelMaurice]

That man at the beginning is speaking like a video game NPC before giving you a quest.

[@giovannip8600]

That guy just gets paid a lot for all that bs talk lmao, probably one such speech for every nationality, if not, great improvising skills lmao

[@klikbayt]

His talking makes me wanna fly a plane into that building

[@topnftart]

Of course they are different! Haven't you notice that Hungarian-speaking children and goulash? Deep custom-made speech ahah.

[@maloghurst2741]

Eat the rich.

[@truckingwithtobee]

That’s exactly what is happening right now with the housing market they are buying up all of the medium priced homes and pricing everybody out of the market. Great Ted talk

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

Yeah no chance to buy anything reasonable bc companies are buying everything up and flipping them for a huge profit margin

[@shre6619]

@@larsonfamilyhouse Yeah, and when this market bubble will collapse, they will be the 1st to get bailed out

[@Youtuber-ly6tx]

I agree. In my small town in Georgia, since about 4 years ago I've been seeing license plates from Florida, California, and New York at these real estate meetings. They're buying up all the houses. People go to the big cities to make big money and then come to the rural/developing areas to out-price the local economy. They're buying the futures of our children. Essentially indebting them with mortgages for years.

[@sweetmemesalabama]

That's actually sad to hear, it really is bad for the ordinary lot

[@drek1953]

wow, what a great speaker. so calm and collected, and delivered it in a way that was so natural I couldn’t stop listening until the end. great message, changed how I think about these skrapers for sure. especially the fact that those 70% that own them, own an average of 5 of them globally. shameful.

[@richardbrophy4120]

the rich block out the sun

[@darrenparis8314]

Wow, they really are just like the movies. Superficially keeping up an image, and at the expense of enormous resources. Well done!

[@chrisallum9044]

No, she just described it that way. If you had 5 homes what percentage would be empty at once? If you had a house and it's not occupied by someone paying for the privilege it is not an investment but an expense. She created a character and was treated like that character. The only genuine issue mentioned was the shadows. If you have the option of staying in hotels or your own home in the various locations you live and work which would you choose?

[@willkeller9893]

@@chrisallum9044 nobody is living or working or even AirB&B'ing these. These buildings are being created exactly for the reason of wealthy people buying them in order to keep their wealth there. That is the product being sold and bought here, and for that reason alone, not even the views or the shadows are these buildings basically awful things that should be taken by the public and made into free housing.

[@lemonlimelukey]

@@chrisallum9044 cope harder.

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

@@willkeller9893 air b & b should be against the law and it only adding to the housing shortage, it’s the worst offender yet. Also who wants someone they don’t know partying it up and breaking or even steal stuff in their house. Or banging on their tables like Megan fox and mgk. You’d want it unoccupied so if you wanted to go there on a whim you could or so you could let your great aunt go celebrate her birthday there etc. do you let random ppl stay in your house now whenever you’re away?

[@tibby934]

Interesting take on the symbolism of the high-rises in New York being unoccupied with their dooming presence that directly impacts others' well-being.

[@stannyjd]

This is a perfect example how excess has destroyed earth and the so called American dream is at the centre of it. Beautiful narrative by the author ☀️

[@modfus]

Well it's destined to come to an calamitous end in the not-too-distant future. The Global economy is teetering ..........and the United States will be hit particularly badly.

[@ronmackinnon9374]

@@modfus Along with more attempts to divide people against each other, to shield the ones who fostered and benefited from these conditions from accountability.

[@guilhermecaiado5384]

If im not wrong, the original "american dream" is a big house in the suburbs with a healthy family and 2 cars. Those are the biggest appartaments of the centre of new york

[@virgierutledge3004]

America is a newbie. Other governments and elite are just as bad or worse.

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

Literally! It’s destroying beautiful Central Park. They kicked people out of Seneca Village to make it, the least they could do is try to preserve it

[@fredi1356]

What a smart smart woman!!! Gabriella not only shared with us this very useful information, insight of that world and her considerate human soul but she now will make the life of that layer of society a Little more complicated by introducing frequently tedious verification procedures... 😂😂😂

[@ronmackinnon9374]

That's Andi - you've fallen for her persona! 😊

[@jeshkam]

"Gabriella, I really see you living here Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man"

[@gellinmcmellin]

This is a 5 star Michelin comment! So good!

[@knaanLa]

That salesman is annoying. It make me not want to buy the apartment

[@geraldbukosky1834]

Interesting: I couldn't find the book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble!

[@jonfrucht8068]

I went through the same research :) Then I found it on her website, and got it in 3-4 days in California. Oh! And the book is absolutely wonderful!

[@gotasvensson1847]

I found it on Abebooks! And I also confirm that it is amazing. Beautiful and very fun album. Besides the photographs, my favorite is all the dialogues between 'Gabriella' and the agents.

[@oceanwonders]

So the problem is the use of housing as an investment / retirement vehicle. Right? Okay. Now, go deeper than that. WHY does housing get used as an investment vehicle? Because the price goes up over time (or at least retains its value in places like this). Right? Okay. Now, go deeper still. WHY does housing go up over time? Inflation - prices of goods & services rise over time. Right? Okay. One more time. What causes inflation? One answer that is rarely, if ever, mentioned in any detail, is monetary policy - understandable, because most video creators on homelessness or affordability are not experts in finance. People who've studied econ or finance know what it is, generally, but in comments on videos like these, I rarely see anything about it. The Federal Reserve (in the US), or the central bank (in your country), sets interest rates. Think of those interest rates as the price of money (because you have to pay to borrow money). When central banks lower interest rates drastically (and esp when they "PRINT" new money - a topic for another time), businesses and esp the rich can borrow MASSIVE amounts of money. That money is parked into real estate and stocks, causing both markets to balloon like crazy. Meanwhile, people who have to work for their money see inflation eat away at their savings. No protest or movement regarding affordability would be complete without highlighting the role that the central bank of any country plays in manipulating the amount of money average people can borrow, which affects the real estate market and therefore home prices. If you want to take a deep dive into this topic, watch a mini documentary series called The Hidden Secrets of Money.

[@marleenvangoethem]

👏🏻

[@aabracadavra]

I couldn't stop laughing listening to that man try to sell the apartment. Imagining Fran Lebowitz relating the experience brings me joy. He's so fake and obnoxious.

[@Eikenhorst]

About the marble in the bathroom. Unlike houses for normal people, the interior put into these apartments, no matter how expensive and luxurious it is, will always be thrown out the second it is bought. Every one of these potential buyers will bring his favorite interior designer in and they will completely redo the place. I just hope she didn't say something like: "I like the marble here" as it indicates you are planning on keeping any of it as it is, which makes you look cheap. The interior is just there for the same reason we sometimes get 3D drawings to imagine how it could potentially look like, nothing more.

[@FlockofSmeagles]

So are you the person who actually makes the money? Or one of the many leeches in his life?

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

Why do you hope that? It’s done with lol

[@ekids.bassment]

bs

[@redwarf8118]

What are you talking about? She was just pretending so she would get access. Nobody cares about the marble in the bathroom

[@intensemaster]

@@redwarf8118 But if she looks cheap it might allude to her lying about being a billionnaire

[@frankiebeech5577]

What a fantastic point of view. The reminder of how much impact the image of wealth can have on the level of acceptance a person has to the shadow it produces over the socio-economic environment.

[@HollyWoomy]

What is WITH that sales pitch?! It sounds more like he's rehearsing for a play! 😨

[@souhaila5879]

That's what I said too, like if he is acting

[@Steinchen43]

Probably not the real audio. Might be a voice actor?

[@BourdeoixEterno]

@@Steinchen43 it’s not lol

[@veganmomma24b21]

Well said. Sum it up they are cold and empty large spaces. You’ll never get to know your neighbors.

[@user-ig3vw4in5p]

Unexpectedly great talk. What a shame to have all those empty apartments while so many people struggle to find a place to stay.

[@francisaugistino701]

Why should elite properties house those that cannot afford it? Should you allow someone less fortunate than you to live in your apartment? I mean, your couch is probably free all evening. Is it fair that your couch should be unoccupied when someone who makes 1/20 th of your salary needs a place to sleep? It’s only fair right ?

[@heathermcclean7408]

@@francisaugistino701 fair? That's a loaded question... right? You making 1/20th of my salary doesn't make you more or less deserving of a decent place to sleep. We're not talking apples and oranges here... we're talking gum stuck to the bottom of shoes vs. dried mangos... Is it fair that you pick at the bottom of your shoe for food, while I nibble on imported dried fruit? How about I share a bag of apples and oranges with you and still go about nibbling my imported dried fruit? We're talking billions of billions of empty couches... it's absolutely fair to let people who need a place to sleep, sleep on them. It's quite sensible and efficient.

[@anunaysanganal]

@@heathermcclean7408 But why should they? Just because they don't share their wealth, they are frowned upon. Some people actually earn their money by working very hard and diligently. So what they do with their money is their business. Just my imo

[@jamesbyrne9312]

I did this in Oxford. Pretended I was an architectural historian so I could get a day pass to look round the beautiful colleges and the Radcliffe camera Library

[@Babesinthewood97]

That’s nice! I applied for a library card at the Bodlian libraries, but then covid happened. Had I been accepted it wouldn’t have been pretence though. But I did not attend Oxford University. You don’t need to. You just need to have a genuine need to use the libraries. I ended up not handing in my application due to lockdown.

[@jamesbyrne9312]

@@Babesinthewood97 yeah exactly. It's worth doing. I wanted to study there but their architecture course was rubbish.

[@naushadm8086]

Great Ted talk. In my view, solution is simple for these problems in any country or city. Make a law that all residential apartments/homes need to be occupied after certain amount of time when they are ready to occupy.

[@ShreyasBharadwaj]

This is the best video showing the the ugliness of Billionare’s row I’ve seen till date.

[@powerofknowledge7771]

Whoa... so this started as an entertaining video about beautiful views of the city, and ended up a lesson about why our housing market is so effed up. It's all about greed! Investors are holding onto empty buildings, and right before the market goes back down, they'll leave the average homeowner holding the bag with no equity and for many in Manhattan, with no sunlight. Our economy and our livelihood is going from bad to worse so that the greedy few can benefit. I understand people wanting financial freedom and wealth, but not at the cost of screwing over others.

[@gallakochar4245]

Fake World Of High Rise Exposed - Amazing Talk and Beautifully exposed. 🙏🏻

[@shreyasdesai3598]

I thought nothing could top off the B1M video on this same issue, but man was I wrong. So wrong. "Gabriella" must have been thought of as artsy by those agents, but she's actually ended up making a true piece of art.

[@kathryndipalma4712]

What is the video that you are referring to? Can you share a link?

[@potrebitel3]

So sad. Who speaks like the person at the beginning? And who can enjoys being spoken to like this!?!?

[@ghosted-coder]

tell me why I love Humans again?....Like YES!, bring up a topic, state your arguments and back it up with logical proof!! ABSOLUTELY loved this!

[@redwolf915]

Uh okay

[@eliasandrawos9301]

I swear to GOD I was literally just thinking “humans are so cool”

[@redwolf915]

@@eliasandrawos9301 humans are terrible lol

[@srinuemani]

Now sell that book and make it a no 1 best selling copy of all time and become a millionaire and buy all those apartments with no need of calling your husband this time 😁👍

[@fadibokinno3465]

Lol that's not realistic at all

[@aprilm9551]

Brilliant research, well presented. So much to think about. I will add that I'm not so sure that highrises are a good investment. With global warming and the resultant extreme weather and such, very tall buildings may not withstand what might be coming.

[@Msanimejunkie1]

@Prasanth Thomas yes, because it is here, already

[@ronmackinnon9374]

If anyone's interested, those types of marble she mentions (that were used in the bathrooms) are spelled 'calacatta tucci' and 'grigio orobico.'

[@SchizoMashups]

I thought this was just gonna be a quirky fun video and then there was that jarring statistic at the end. How can anyone justify owning 4 or 5 empty apartments when there are literally people freezing to death blocks away? 🤔

[@dorianboard7379]

Absolutely the best TED talk I have ever seen!! Thank you so much, it really is an eye-opener.

[@HearturMind]

Having watched many video walkthroughs of these apartments available online, they strike me as silent, cold, brittle, dizzying spaces that are for me utterly uninviting. They seem so isolating and distant from what New York City is, like looking at a photo in a coffee table book rather than actually being there. And I would love to know, do the wives and children of these billionaires feel like fairytale princesses locked away in castle towers? Are the ultra rich more likely to own the sumptuous sprawling apartments and penthouses in the lower stratospheres? What an interesting project. Has her book become a shopping tool for the ultra rich?

[@mandeep3.14]

Sad to hear about the park (especially after watching Avatar), the vacant properties and the sexism. How could they not consider the park?!

[@loveshine7819]

Very well presented from beginning to end… Especially appreciated her final words…”..in my view”. 👏🏽👏🏽

[@pyhead9916]

All artist have "their view."

[@ObeyaCorpsArmory]

The main thing that was an eye-opener for me was the fact that these apartments arent there for living but more for holding their money. its like an outdoor bank vault you can't steal from... and if you are in town you can sleep there. Makes sense to me now how some famous artists/actors/musicians have abandoned mansions that they dont live in

[@ellb8795]

Imagine the earth-shattering sound of the building’s sway. 432 Park is the worst building in the city.

[@hammerradiology1470]

Hungarians are witty- love it 😀

[@mayling141]

Amazing topics and excellent research.

[@cenara.artist]

Man, the symbolism in this. The environment and the people overshadowed by some rich wankers empty investment.

[@martinaforbs1448]

So true and so sad..

[@stelleldir]

That was very interesting, I never thought about it before.

[@JacobJonesy]

I still remember my first trip to NYC as a kid, we went to the top of the WTC, I will never forget the view. We were on top.

[@RebeccaJedward]

This was such a great Ted talk, and quite the plot twist! Thank you so much, so fascinating. I will never look the same at these buildings.

[@georgewitmore1460]

They need to heavily tax condos/homes that have been vacant for a certain amount of time. I think they had to do something like this in Vancouver, BC because billionaires were creating a housing crisis. Lots of empty house with lots of people living on the streets.

[@Fat_Catt]

all bought and paid for the Chinese that live overseas and use these tactics to "park" their money in places like Vancover and NYC. now the Chinese investors have come into nyc since Vancover besmirched their tactic there, only to do the same in nyc. I have cousins that live in Vancouver that told me about them 10+ years ago, and i've been in nyc for 20+ years. It's now come here. It's very real, folks.

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

@@Fat_Catt lol all nationalities live everywhere. Ppl have been hiding money in malls and since that’s not working anymore gotta find other stuff

[@GalataPodcast]

Hiding money in malls? Can you elaborate?

[@georgewitmore1460]

@@Fat_Catt yeah, I think a lot of Chinese billionaires bought real estate there because there was a movie that popularized Vancouver in China or something. The wealth hoarding and vacant house collecting in the US is caused by billionaires from everywhere though, especially domestic billionaires.

[@giselle8867]

@@georgewitmore1460 Actually the primary prospecting in Vancouver is by Americans. The thing about Chinese investors running up prices is largely a myth that is very well propagated even in Vancouver. Look it up.

[@MariaFortiz]

New York residents / voters should organize together to prevent these buildings from going up in the first place. Protect the commons! Sunlight, sky, open space are all important to New Yorkers -- not to mention the wildlife and vegetation of Central Park. And there should be a law in NYC that all owners of such spaces disclose who they are -- most owners are anonymous -- and they cannot hide their ownership beneath a shell company. Transparency of ownership is the best medicine for curing the toxic elements of the new billionaire class. The more separate and hidden billionaires are from the rest of us the more dangerous they become.

[@mikemartin6748]

Who are these weird people complaining about shadows? NYC is built on skyscrapers. It wouldn't be what it is without tall buildings. You can't really move to NYC and then complain that it's not Topeka, Kansas.

[@japonesa5186]

Yup! As a native New Yorker… there is no where to live because they are owned empty spaces, with timed lights… 😒 also are eyesores to the city’s legacy and architecture

[@Cuminbeef]

I like that she’s just telling a story of what she saw, and that leave space for people to think about this phenomenon on their own.

[@robertdouglas8895]

Until the end at which time she editorialized that it was not only an extreme waste of wealth of the world but also shades the common space of Central Park from the sun. The views don't make up for that.

[@tonyt9355]

Real Estate agents are literally ghouls. I love that she wasted their time.

[@hydraxisfrimon9785]

Loved Andi's angle on this. 'The B1M' has also done a couple of good videos on New York's Billionaire's Row, also bringing up some of the issues she discusses here, plus some of the technical stuff too. It is all pretty distasteful, these monoliths are like huge fingers flipping the bird at those who have to live below them. Or more likely another part of the (male) anatomy. They certainly seem like the biggest ones to any ordinary person...

[@waxeye6488]

Excellent talk, as a viewer of 'Millionaire Listing' it's a chilling reminder.

[@TobiasSebastien]

Same here that I didn’t expect much other then a funny story. And I too wish her all the best with her book, but even more so I hope that this trend will come to an end, that anybody involved will come to the conclusion that the guilt for this situation lies with everybody in the process and three refuse building this. After all we need affordable housing for normal people, definitely not high rise buildings, and surely no properties that are just meant to stay empty!