Storylines
- A Meta employee spent $300,000 on a condo on a cruise ship that will sail the globe.
- Austin Wells told CNBC he wanted to travel the world, as well as keep working from home.
- The MV Narrative will set sail in 2025, with permanent residences starting at $1 million.
A Meta employee bought a 12-year lease for a cruise ship condo so he can continue working from home while seeing the world, a report says.
CNBC reported earlier this month that Austin Wells, a 28-year old employee of Reality Labs, Meta’s virtual reality arm, will be one of the residents on the MV Narrative.
The cruise ship promises to let guests live permanently at sea – at a price. Permanent 237-square-foot studios went on the market this year for $1 million.
Wells, from San Diego, told CNBC he was enticed by the opportunity to see the world while maintaining a semblance of routine that would allow him to continue working. And the 12-year lease put a cap on the price tag for the soon-to-be digital nomad.
“The thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world,” Wells told CNBC.
“I’m going from this model where you want to go somewhere, you pack a bag, you get on a flight, you rent a room, to now my condo, my gym, my doctors and dentists, all of my grocery stores travel the world with me.”
Wells told the outlet he plans to continue to work West Coast hours when the ship sets sail in Europe in 2025. That’s likely to result in working some very unsociable hours, including late evenings and early mornings.
“But that does open up the ability for me to … maybe see a city midday to afternoon and then start my workday around six or 7 p.m,” he told CNBC.
The MV Narrative, run by luxury travel company Storylines, promises residents the opportunity to visit all six continents on a 1,000-day circumnavigation, spending an average of three days in each port.
The price tag includes nearly everything a resident could need, with food, drink, and laundry services provided, alongside all the recreational activities found on a luxury cruise liner like gyms and performances.
Meta Wells recently announced plans to shrink its office space and expanded work from home orders to cut costs following huge losses this year.
