SortStack #185 — 2026-12-11

By price · Order from cheapest to most expensive.

1. A PlayStation 5 console $500

   The PS5 sold out so fast at launch during the pandemic that scalper bots became a news story — resale prices briefly doubled the sticker.

2. A Peloton Bike+ exercise bike $2.5K

   During the pandemic Peloton was briefly worth more than Ford. Its stock later fell more than 90% from the peak as gyms reopened.

3. The median home in San Francisco $1.3M

   San Francisco is only about 121 square kilometers — smaller than Walt Disney World in Florida — which helps explain the brutal housing math.

4. One B-2 Spirit stealth bomber $737M

   Each B-2 must be kept in climate-controlled hangars to protect its radar-absorbing skin. Only 21 were ever built, each with its own name like 'Spirit of Missouri.'

5. Instagram, when Facebook bought it $1B

   In 2012 Instagram had 13 employees and zero revenue. The price was widely mocked as insane — it may be the best acquisition in tech history.

6. Mojang, the maker of Minecraft, when Microsoft bought it $2.5B

   Creator Markus 'Notch' Persson sold partly due to burnout, tweeting that he didn't want the responsibility — Minecraft went on to become the best-selling game ever.

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