Both billionaires. Both tech titans. Both yacht owners. But when it comes to tipping, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg couldn’t be more different. While one left a tip so generous it made international headlines, the other sparked controversy by not leaving a cent. If you’re guessing who’s who, let’s break it down. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who recently married his stunning partner Lauren Sanchez in Venice, left a jaw-dropping $52,000 tip for the staff at the Aman Hotel. The gesture matched the lavishness of the $500 million Koru superyacht he owns, a fitting move for a man whose net worth is a whopping $245 billion.
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, by contrast, didnt have a fancy European wedding; it was an understated affair in the Palo Alto backyard when he married Priscilla Chan in May 2012. The wedding took place a day after Facebook’s IPO, which valued the company at $104 billion, making Zuckerberg a billionaire with his stake worth roughly $17 billion.
The wedding may have been simple, but the newlyweds jetted off on a romantic Italian honeymoon, staying at the upscale Portrait Suites near the Spanish Steps in Rome, where rooms reportedly cost around $900 a night. They explored landmarks like the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain and dined at Pierluigi, a celebrated Roman restaurant, enjoying lobster pasta, oysters, flame-grilled fish, and Chardonnay.
But the real story unfolded at Nonna Betta, a kosher Roman restaurant where Zuckerberg and Chan dined on artichoke ravioli and fried pumpkin flowers, racking up a modest $40 bill, and Zuckerberg leaving no tip. The incident was first reported by Italian daily Corriere della Sera, which ran the headline, “Zuckerberg in Rome – a €32 bill and no tip.” The article also noted that locals jokingly nicknamed Chan “Chansaccodesoldi,” which loosely translates to “She’s got a sack of cash.”
Nonna Betta’s owner, Umberto Pavoncello, wasn’t offended. He told reporters, “They were very nice and polite… maybe they are not used to tipping in their country.” Tipping in Italy is not mandatory and is often included as a service charge in the bill. Still, in tourist-heavy areas and with world-renowned billionaires, small extra tips are appreciated.
What adds more intrigue is Priscilla Chan’s own upbringing.
She’s the daughter of refugees from the Vietnam War and grew up in Quincy, Massachusetts. Her parents, Dennis and Yvonne, barely spoke English and juggled multiple jobs before finally opening a Chinese restaurant in Boston, per The Times. Both worked 18-hour days to make ends meet. Rule or no rule, having seen firsthand the grind of running a restaurant, one might expect a little extra generosity from Chan and her billionaire husband.
