Being willing to look like an idiot on the internet is priceless.

I have a thesis: If you don’t have Fuck You Money, acting like you have Fuck You Money online can counterintuitively lead you to making Fuck You Money.

Let me explain.

Fuck You Money (FYM) is a term coined by the tech elites in the early 2000s to describe the ultra-rich who have so much money they can say whatever they want. Think Elon Musk literally telling Bob Iger to go f himself.

Having FYM is my ultimate goal.

Everyone has a different FYM number. Mine is probably around the $50-100M range. Here’s what 256 people said their number was:

The most common route to FYM is to become a startup founder. Think Elon, Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel, etc.

But what if you don’t want to become a startup founder? What if being a startup founder doesn’t fit your skillset, but you still want FYM? Then I believe becoming a Fuck You Creator is the next best option. Or in other words, by becoming an internet provocateur, a memelord, a shitposter, whatever you may want to call it—to simply not give a fuck on the internet.

Being a Fuck You Creator means not giving a fuck if some people hate you. It means embracing the cringe. It means arbitraging on what other people are scared to do. Acting like you don’t give a fuck on the internet is a superpower.

By being a Fuck You Creator, you will eventually get FYM—because FYM isn’t really about the money, it’s about the mentality. If you want to get FYM, then you have to put yourself in the FYM mentality before you’re there. It’s like attracting a partner. You have to be a happy good person to attract one.

You could see this with people like Tucker Max who started writing about his frat bro sex stories on the internet when he was a broke college kid; by acting like he had FYM, he’d eventually get FYM by turning his stories into a book and movie. The same goes for author Mark Manson who wrote the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck—which made him millions. The same goes with YouTuber Danny Duncan who started selling t-shirts that say “Virginity Rocks” and makes millions every month.

I’ve seen it in my own life. As Mac promised, the less I give a fuck, the more I make. I post a spicy meme on Twitter, I sell books. I post ridiculous viral Instagram videos, I get brand deals. I write a tweet on a whim and accidentally end up working on a 2024 presidential campaign. If you want to make internet money, you need to stop giving so many fucks. 

As Mark Manson explains, the amount of fucks you can give is limited; you only have so many fucks and so much attention to give, so you must purposely not a give a fuck about some things—so you can give a fuck about the things that matter. I give many fucks about my content and my business, I just don’t give a fuck what people who aren’t creators like me think about it. Does that make sense? I fucking hope so. Is it risky? Of course it is. But isn’t everything worthwhile in life a tad risky?

If you want true FYM, then you need to start saying Fuck You. What you’ll find is the more you say F You, the easier it gets. When I first started posting memes and jokes, I was afraid of looking “cringe” or looking like an idiot. Now that fear is gone. Hell, this is my LinkedIn photo.

Am I a tad scared that I may lose out on jobs? Yes. Am I a tad scared people will think I’ve lost my marbles? Yes. But in both cases, fuck ‘em. If they don’t have a sense of humor or, I don’t need em in my life. Abundance mentality baby. There’s enough jobs out there, there’s enough people on the big ole internet that I’ll find my people. If you ain’t fucking with me, then fuck you.

I want to say “Stop being afraid of what people think”—but we’re social creatures and it’s impossible to truly give up fear of what people think. But what you can do is embrace the fear and move forward despite the fear. Remember you ain’t going into Vietnam or the army. You’re just posting some funny shit on the internet. What’s the worst that can happen?

If you want to blow up on the internet, you need to turn yourself into motherfucking dynamite. Start taking bigger bets, post spicier shitposts, become a provocateur. Become a memelord.

CYBERPUNK HYPERLINKS

😂 A candy-dispensing iPhone case. A cooler for your balls. A 50-foot rug based on a CVS receipt. All unnecessary, but very real inventions.

📱An engineer made the Cybertruck of iPhone nightstands. NEED.

🔫 I broke down Palmer Luckey and Anduril’s PR strategy.

🎙️ Aging vampire-icon Bryan Johnson jumped on the Pirate Wires podcast to chat the future of aging with Mike Solana. Banger.

🎶 Ever try the reverb effects in Logic Pro? DAW interfaces are cyberpunk as fuck. I want more designs like this on everyday websites.

TWITTER MEMES OF THE WEEK

Thanks for reading, nerds.

Let’s blow up the internet together.

Jason Levin