a more cost-effective solution

When I worked on Desktop Search, SY held a picnic at his house right before launch. After we each had a few drinks, our PM Nick went around the table and asked everyone, "How much money would it to take to get you to have sex with the most unattractive person you can imagine?"

This assumes you don't catch any diseases, and that the person is of the appropriate gender.

Some said $2 million, some $10 million, others $1 million, $67 million, and a few said not for any price. It finally came to SY, our gracious host, who said, "Ten thousand dollars."

We teased him a lot, but maybe he was the only truthful one.

Anyhow, last weekend, I was hanging out at a bar in San Francisco with a few Googlers. This story came up, and my companions began mentally computing their own thresholds.

Alipé : "My number is $100 million. Because everyone would make fun of me for doing it, and I need to be able to retort, 'Yeah, but now I have X dollars.' In order to shut them up, X has to be pretty high."

Mue: "Really, $100 million dollars?"

Alipé : "That's right."

Mue: "Or I could give you $100 worth of alcohol, and you would still do it afterwards."