Billionaire Vs Simple Life Debate: Samir Arora Defends Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma

Samir Arora, founder of Singapore-based Helios Capital, has slammed a social media user who mocked Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma for his comments on living a simple life. Sharma had shared his thoughts on the subject during his appearance on Netflix’s The Great Indian Kapil Show a few months ago, where he spoke about viewing life beyond material comforts.

The user shared a short clip from the episode and wrote, "Indians who buy an Rs 80-crore house and drive a Tesla should not preach they live a simple life."

Arora dismissed the criticism, describing it as a "ridiculous conclusion." He defended the entrepreneur, stating that Sharma "is a self-made billionaire," and questioned the logic of expecting him not to own a Tesla or a home purchased with his own earnings. He closed his response by remarking, "Travelling by local train/bus is not required to live a simple life."

Vijay Shekhar Sharma had appeared on the comedy talk show alongside other startup founders, including boAt's Aman Gupta, Mamaearth's Ghazal Alagh and OYO's Ritesh Agarwal. During the conversation, host Kapil Sharma asked whether he indulged in expensive vehicles or luxury products. The Paytm CEO replied in the negative, saying he believed in living life on a modest budget so that "even when everything goes wrong, you can still be in your 'best survival mode.'"

He went on to describe the small joys he treasured, saying, "My happiest moments are eating golgappas." He explained that whenever life got overwhelming and his mind was clouded with worry, he would tell himself, “Life isn’t that bad. I can still go eat golgappas.”

Arora’s post drew more than 20,000 views and prompted a series of reactions on X.

One user said that the criticism stemmed from resentment, writing, "This mentality makes Indians poor. They can’t see people who earned money enjoying it."

Another user backed Arora’s stance by pointing out that financial success should naturally allow for comfort and convenience, stating, "Agree to this take down! I’d fly business class whenever I can, the day I start to make that kind of money to afford it, and buy a car too. It's all about having a convenient and fuss-free life and not having to fight for everything."

One comment highlighted the relativity of wealth, suggesting that Sharma’s spending was modest in the context of his net worth, stating, "For his wealth, a Rs 80 crore home or Tesla is not much. Rs 80 crore = flat in Gurgaon. Relative to their worth, middle-class people spend more."

The reactions indicated that many users saw no contradiction between success and choosing a simple lifestyle.