Fortune doesn’t always favor the selfish. Austrian heiress Marlene Engelhorn is flipping the script on generational wealth. After inheriting a vast fortune from her late grandmother, the descendant of BASF founder Friedrich Engelhorn didn’t splurge — she gave it away. Nearly all of it. And not just to charities of her choosing, but to 50 strangers.
According to Time Magazine, Engelhorn handed off the power—and responsibility—of distributing €25 million (around $27 million) to a group of randomly selected Austrian citizens.
"I have inherited a fortune... without having done anything for it."
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Most people with a windfall immediately consider how to spend it. But Marlene saw her inheritance as a systemic failure. As she told the BBC,
“I have inherited a fortune, and therefore power, without having done anything for it. And the state doesn't even want taxes on it.”
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According to the New York Times, Austria abolished its inheritance tax in 2008, a fact that deeply troubled her.
“Many people struggle to make ends meet with a full-time job and pay taxes on every euro they earn from work. I see this as a failure of politics, and if politics fails, then the citizens have to deal with it themselves.”
So she did something radical.
Engelhorn began by emailing more than 10,000 random Austrians, eventually selecting 50 to form a group reflective of the country’s demographics — curated by research institute Foresight. This “citizens’ council” would decide how to allocate the money.
The initiative evolved into a group called the “Good Council for Redistribution” — or “Guter Rat” in German. The heiress herself stepped away from the decision-making, stating that
“Redistribution must be a process that extends beyond oneself.”
The group’s first in-person meeting happened at a Salzburg hotel in March 2024.
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How it worked
Each council member received a stipend of €1,200 (~$1,300) per meeting. All logistics — meals, lodging, travel, childcare — were covered by Marlene. But there were rules. Funds could not go to:
- For-profit ventures
- Groups with inhumane, unconstitutional, or extremist affiliations
- The members themselves or their associates
Eventually, the council allocated the funds across 77 organizations.
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Who received the money?
The largest share — $1.7 million — went to the Austrian Society for Nature Conservation. The second largest, around $1.6 million, went to Neunerhaus, which supports the unhoused. Other recipients included:
- Climate advocacy groups
- The left-leaning Momentum Institute
- Religious organizations
- The Autonomous Austrian Women's Shelters, which received €300,000, per Euronews
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A democratic act of anti-elitism
“A large part of my inherited wealth, which elevated me to a position of power simply by virtue of my birth, contradicting every democratic principle, has now been redistributed in accordance with democratic values,” Marlene said in a statement reported by the BBC.
She wasn’t alone in this bold move. As she told The Guardian:
“Nobody is openly telling me that I’m doing something wrong or bad. On the contrary, my mum once said: ‘I’m going to be your biggest fan.’”
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Marlene Engelhorn didn’t just give away millions. She gave away power. And she handed it to everyday people — not out of guilt, but because she believes democracy should extend to wealth itself.
This article originally appeared last year.
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21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.