Top 10 Billionaires Looking Like Average Joes

10 Billionaires Who Love to Pretend They’re Average Joes

4:59 pm, July 28th | by Hillary Reinsberg

In a TV interview that’s airing tonight, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman gives a reporter an “inside,” “behind the scenes” look at her life, which includes bi-monthly trips to Costco. Nice gesture, but come on! Could you be more formulaic? We get it, you’re a real person who buys paper towel in bulk. Whitman’s not alone in this pursuit of appearing normal, so we’ve put together a list of our Top 10 Billionaires Looking Like Average Joes. Too bad a few of them sort of fail at the effort. Hey, a leopard can’t change his spots and a mogul can’t… well, they can do pretty much whatever they want.

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1.Michael Bloomberg Rides The Subway

Oh look, New York City's billionaire mayor rides the subway with all the other working people! It seemed like a nice "man of the people" gesture, until we learned that he was actually having a big black SUV drive him to the express stop 20 blocks from his house. Kind of defeats the purpose, Mike.

2.Donald Trump Eats Pizza With Sarah Palin

When Sarah Palin came to town a few months ago, the Donald took her out...for pizza. And not even to a hip, thin-crust spot. They ate in Times Square, at Famiglia, the chain you'll often find in airports. Even worse, we found out Trump likes to peel the cheese off his pizza. Gross. But on an Average Joe scale, good work!

3.Tony Hsieh Keeps His Desk Dirty

Zappos founder Tony Hsieh forgoes the corner office for...this. We appreciate the kitsch, but don't think we can't see that bottle of Grey Goose sitting right in front of you.

4.Warren Buffett Eats Burgers And Coke

We don't need to remind you how wealthy Warren Buffett is. But despite the fact that he could eat at Masa every day for the rest of his life, Buffet has routinely said his favorite meal in the world is a cheeseburger and Cherry Coke. And here he is serving a DQ Blizzard... for some reason.

5.Mark Zuckerberg Eats Tacos On The Street

Facebook founder is the definitive face of the bohemian-billionaire lifestyle. He didn't even own a home until recently. Here, he chows down on some tacos on the sidewalk. No need for tables or chairs here. One question: did he slaughter that beef himself?

6.Martha Stewart Hangs Out At A Roadside Seafood Shack

Just last weekend, we spotted Martha Stewart celebrating her 70th birthday at a roadside seafood shack with outdoor-only seating, where she ordered a lobster roll and a slice of key lime pie. And she drove herself – in a low-key Chevy Suburban.

7.Meg Whitman Shops At Costco

As we already mentioned, Meg Whitman says she goes to Costco twice a month. She also said that while her home is very nice, it "doesn't look like Martha Stewart just left."

8.Mark Cuban Plays Basketball

When the Dallas Mavs won the NBA championship recently, owner Mark Cuban spared no expense in his partying. But other times, Cuban has showed that he's not too good to get on the court himself and shoot some hoops. And, like everyone else, he does it wearing his favorite team's jersey. Unlike everyone else, he happens to own that team.

9.Richard Branson Steers His Own Ship

British billionaire Richard Branson is a well-known daredevil – and it's not just for show. Unlike other moguls who wouldn't go near a control room on their megayachts, Branson actually steers the wheel of his own sailboat. Of course, his transatlantic record attempt makes him a little less "Average Joe," I suppose.

10.Steve Ballmer Plays Basketball With Kids

Microsoft honcho Steve Ballmer took time recently to play ball with some local youngsters. Apparently though, he aggressively blocked the children – and couldn't even make any baskets. Just as we thought.