SortStack #2971 — 2034-07-28

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 new hot-air balloon with basket and burner $40K

   The envelope fabric slowly degrades with UV exposure — most balloons retire after a few hundred flight hours, making cost per flight surprisingly high.

3. One year at Harvard, including tuition, room, and board $82K

   Harvard's endowment is so large that the university could theoretically let every undergraduate attend free and barely notice — financial aid means many already pay little.

4. The largest lottery jackpot ever won, a single-ticket Powerball prize $2B

   The 2022 winner, a California man, took the lump sum of just under a billion dollars — then made headlines buying multiple mansions.

5. WhatsApp, when Facebook bought it $19B

   At the 2014 acquisition, WhatsApp had about 55 employees serving 450 million users — a price of roughly $350 million per employee.

6. The Amazon stock MacKenzie Scott received in history's biggest divorce settlement $38B

   Scott has since given away billions at a record pace, often with no application process — charities report receiving surprise phone calls.

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