How to Break Free From Billionaires
This post has actions you can take today to stop spending your time, energy, and money supporting the richest men in the world.
If you read my last piece recommending that you Delete Your Accounts, you already saw this graphic from Visual Capitalist showcasing the top ten billionaires list from Forbes in June 2024. The most recent list was published by Forbes Australia on March 3, 2025. It is almost the exact same ten people (just in different positions). The only major change was Amancio Ortega joined the top ten, and Bill Gates got knocked out of it.
On my quest to align the actions in my life with my personal values, I have been looking into ways to divest and stop supporting these billionaires. So far, I have deleted my X/Twitter accounts, my Instagram accounts, my Facebook accounts, and (for a separate reason) my TikTok account. I know a lot of people are interested in how to channel their emotions into concrete actions currently, so I’ve compiled a bunch of links I found to help you with this process. Under each linked headline is a little snippet from the piece along with my personal commentary.
Delete Your TikTok Account Instantly: A Step-by-Step Guide (SoftHandTech)
“Are you tired of the endless scrolling on TikTok and want to break free from the social media cycle? Or perhaps you’re concerned about your online privacy and want to delete your account for good? Whatever your reason, deleting your TikTok account can be a bit tricky, especially with the 30-day waiting period. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll show you how to delete your TikTok account without waiting 30 days.”
When I deleted my account, I didn’t bother requesting an expedited deletion. It will officially go away in 30 days, but I won’t be using it in the meantime. So, to me, it is already deleted. Almost every site has that 30-day period just in case you change your mind and want to use your account again. Of all the ones I deleted, I have never gone back in that 30-day window because once I’ve made up my mind to stop with these sites, there’s no going back. #NoRegrets
How to delete X and move on with your life (TechCrunch)
“As Elon Musk’s X sees a decline in daily active users, some people are deciding to ditch the social network entirely, whether that’s for Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, or perhaps, better yet, nothing at all…
Deleting your X account means that no one on the site will be able to see your posts or your account. However, social networks have no control over search engines like Google, which automatically index public posts. This means that your posts might still turn up in search results, even if the link to your post no longer exists.”
The only downside to deleting my X/Twitter accounts is that I can no longer log in to fact check wild screenshots. But I always think that enough people are “hate following” accounts, so I don’t have to. Plus, if all those people deleted their accounts or stopped following the people they’re just keeping tabs on but don’t support, their number of followers would decrease tremendously showing more accurately who actually aligns with them.
How to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads (TechCrunch)
“In the wake of Meta’s decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, Google searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been on the rise…
Meta admitted in mid-January that it blocked links to Pixelfed, an Instagram competitor…
So if you, like countless others, have had it with Meta’s algorithms whipping you into a frenzy over [insert cultural or political issue here] and are tired of the company slurping up your data to train its AI or send you targeted advertising and political messaging, then read on.”
This is my fifth year of being Facebook free, and my life has truly improved without it. I have never had a Threads account as I went to Bluesky instead. I do still have my Whatsapp as that’s how I communicate with my friends in other countries, but I will talk to them about shifting to Signal which I have been using as my primary way to text for many years. Otherwise, we could probably connect on Discord too. I recently deleted my Instagram and have been looking at both Pixelfed and Flashes for alternatives.
How to break up with Google (ellipsus)
“Every day, there seem to be more reasons to reevaluate your relationship with Google. If you’re interested in privacy-oriented alternatives, consider the below.”
This one is going to be harder for me to do, but I am working on it. I have a couple of gmail accounts, but I am planning to create a new email address somewhere else before I delete my gmail emails. I do already have some Proton Mail accounts which I have been using for years with no issues and only positive experiences. I currently use their VPN as well. However, the recent comments by CEO Andy Yen have caused some controversy. Another statement was made emphasizing Proton Mail’s neutrality, support of the right to privacy, and “a legal guarantee under Swiss law, which explicitly prohibits us from assisting foreign governments or agencies, and allows us no discretion to show favoritism as Swiss law and Swiss courts have the final say.”
I already stopped using Chrome and moved to Mozilla Firefox awhile ago. It was really easy to import all my bookmarks, so I didn’t lose anything I had saved. Plus, the Firefox browser has helpful features like blocking ad trackers, and you can customize your experience with extensions.
For internet search engine alternatives, I use Firefox and DuckDuckGo primarily and sometimes Ecosia too.
Best Microsoft Office alternative of 2025 (techradar)
“We list the best Microsoft Office alternatives, to make it simple and easy to use professional office apps without subscribing to Microsoft.
Microsoft Office remains the most popular productivity suite for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more - whether as a download software package, or as the cloud-based Microsoft 365 suite - through powerful apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access, Outlook, and more.
However, a range of alternative competitors have become increasingly attractive, especially because their licensing fees are more competitive - some are even free to use. And yet that doesn't necessarily mean that the software is of lower quality, as the open source community can testify.”
I am about to switch from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice as I have heard very good things about it. It is free and open source which are things I am currently prioritizing in my quest to realign my life. I am also planning to explore Obsidian for a Microsoft Word/Notes substitution. My friend speaks very highly of their app. Obsidian is free, end-to-end encrypted, and can be used to collaborate with others “without compromising your private data.”
How I Broke Up With Amazon: A Practical Guide (Brittany’s Notebook)
“If you’ve started feeling uneasy about Amazon’s dominance over, well, everything—and the power billionaires have over, well, also everything—and you’re looking to curb your Amazon consumption in 2025, this is for you. Or if, as you’ll read in my experiences, you are looking to save a bit of money, reduce clutter and have more time for the things that will mean the most to you at the end of your life, then this is also for you.
I began scaling back my reliance on Amazon a handful of years ago. Two years ago, I canceled my Prime membership—and I haven’t missed it for a single day. Now, in 2025, I’ve committed to making zero purchases from Amazon. Today, I’m sharing the approach I took and how it led me here. Plus Amazon alternatives and the benefits I’ve gained along the way.”
This one is the hardest one for me as I have been trying to divest from Amazon for years with no luck. I did the thing where I went to the original source’s website to buy from there directly only for the company to route me back to Amazon for purchasing. Some of the items are supplements that work to keep my chronic illness in check, and I have yet to find substitutions that work for me without side effects I cannot tolerate. Unfortunately, that means I’m stuck supporting Jeff Bezos, so I am trying my damnedest to divest everywhere else to make up for this shortcoming. Please do check and see if you can source your purchases elsewhere though instead of using my personal circumstances as a rationale to just keep buying from there.
For other items, I have been using ebay for many years to buy secondhand online, and in full disclosure I have an ebay store where I pass along items from my house, my mother’s and my grandmothers’. You might be surprised at what you can find on ebay! I’ve scored some really good deals on things I thought would always remain out of my budget. There are other options for secondhand sources, and if I wasn’t still isolating to limit my exposure to illnesses, I would definitely be hitting up my local thrift stores.
So far, we’ve covered how to divest from Elon Musk by quitting X/Twitter, but also if you don’t want your money to support him, don’t buy anything from Tesla or Neuralink. Here is a list of the companies Elon Musk owns and operates.
Mark Zuckerberg owns Meta, Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Whatsapp, Oculus VR, and many more. Check out “The Complete List of Mark Zuckerberg Companies” here.
This “Complete List of Jeff Bezos Companies” is from 2023 but seems to be the most comprehensive and recent one I can find. Major brands that Jeff Bezos owns include: Amazon, The Washington Post, Whole Foods, Audible, IMDb, Twitch, Ring, and more!
Larry Ellison is the co-founder of Oracle, but his second-largest investment is in Tesla. He also contributed $1 billion to Elon Musk’s X takeover. You can find all this info and more about the companies he owns here. (I think he may be the hardest one to divest from, if you work for a company that uses Oracle. I’ve had multiple jobs in the past that used that software.)
Bernard Arnault is the chair and CEO of LVMH—a luxury goods company that includes Moet, Hennessy, and Louis Vuitton. He also owns Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, Tiffany & Co., and Sephora among others. Find the full list here.
Warren Buffet is the chairman and CEO of the holding company Berkshire Hathaway. Some of the major names in his portfolio include Geico, Duracell, Pampered Chef, Kraft Heinz, Fruit of the Loom, Dairy Queen, and Oriental Trading Company. See the full list here.
Larry Page co-founded Google and was the CEO until 2001. Like Mark Zuckerberg has Meta as a parent company over Facebook, Larry Page has Alphabet as a parent company to Google. Other companies of his include Fitbit, Motorola Mobility, Waymo (fka the Google Self-Driving Car Project), and YouTube. See Larry Page’s list here.
Sergey Brin also co-founded Google and used to be the president of Alphabet. He is still “a controlling shareholder and board member.” Besides Google, his companies include YouTube, Waymo, Fitbit, Tesla, Calico, and 23andMe. Read more here.
“Amancio Ortega Gaona is the founder and former chairperson of Inditex, the world’s biggest fast-fashion group. The group is best known for its flagship clothing brand, Zara.” Other companies of his include Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Lefties, and Oysho.
Steve Ballmer was the CEO of Microsoft from 2000-2014. He owns the NBA team the LA Clippers and is co-founder of the investment company Ballmer Group. “In 2021, ProPublica documented how Ballmer is using his ownership of various sports teams as a means to lower his federal income tax to as low as 12%, compared to around 35% for the athletes playing in the team. The report exposes how the Clippers were profitable before their acquisition by Ballmer, but then reported $700 million in losses for tax purposes in following years.” For more info check out ProPublica’s piece: The Billionaire Playbook: How Sports Owners Use Their Teams to Avoid Millions in Taxes.
I listed those billionaires in the order of their wealth on the updated March 3, 2025 list. It may seem overwhelming to try to remove their companies from your life, but any divestment you can do will be less money going in their pockets. I’m going to pick away at this list (from top to bottom) and just keep taking action to erase their hold on my life as much as possible.
If you have any other suggestions on free, open-source companies that are suggested substitutions, please let me know in the comments. Nothing on this page is an ad, and I do not paywall any of my writings. I believe in the free exchange of ideas and knowledge, and I compiled this list to hopefully help you find better options in your life than continuing with the status quo that includes supporting these billionaires who are actively working against our best interests by continuing to put profit above people and the planet. One by one, we can take our power back.
~The Overstimulated
my recommendations are small but meaningful. i’m disabled and have minimal financial resources. i try to support B corps as much as possible- especially when they’re also a good value for my limited funds.
while hunting for toilet paper during the pandemic, i found the company Who Gives a Crap. they’re based in australia but have a satellite in north america. their products are eco friendly: bamboo and recycled options. the shipping is free and the cost is in line with what i paid for recycled or bamboo TP in stores. they also donate a big chunk of profits to build toilets for needy communities around the world. i can 💯 vouch for the company and their products.
i’ve also been using alternative deodorants for years and am just now trying a B corp called Wild, which is based in the UK. their products are plastic free and refillable and their shipping is reasonable. they work with an organization that plants trees in SE asia in an effort to ACTUALLY offset carbon emissions.