Naftali Bennett's Tough Method: "It's Not Healthy to Get Everything on a Silver Platter"
The former prime minister recalls the beginning of his journey and shares the financial difficulties that accompanied him, the meager sum he earned each month, and the dramatic change that made him a very wealthy man.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whose fortune is estimated at approximately 100 million shekels, shared details about the financial struggle that accompanied him at the beginning of his journey in the world of entrepreneurship, long before he entered the political system. During his participation in the podcast "Tikva and Adir Do a Favor," hosted by Tikva Gideon and Adir Mizrahi, Bennett recalled the period when he lived in Manhattan together with his wife Gilat and managed a start-up company under extremely modest conditions. According to him, for five years his total monthly salary stood at only 3,750 dollars — a sum significantly lower than what is expected from a CEO in high-tech in the center of New York, which created daily financial difficulties and a cost of living that was not simple to deal with.
The dramatic turning point occurred in 2005, when the cyber company he founded, Cyota, was sold for approximately 145 million dollars. Bennett described this sharp transition:
"It was hard to be a CEO in high-tech. We moved to Manhattan, Gilat and I, we lived there for five years. My total salary was all those years 3,750 dollars. It's terrible. At that time the rent was lower, but it was very hard. We were broke, broke, broke, exit. That's how it was. It's a moment that changes life."
However, Bennett emphasized that the wealth that came following the successful deal did not change his basic lifestyle, but granted him independence and the freedom to turn to public service. In his words: "I don't eat five steaks a day, even though I can. What it bought me is liberty, and the freedom to decide what I want to do in life. It allowed me to dedicate my life to my people."
Alongside the memories of his past, Bennett detailed how his economic worldview influences today the management of his home and the education of his children. He noted that although he allows himself to "splurge" on buying books and on numerous family vacations abroad when possible, he is careful not to grant his children a life of abundance without limits. A clear example of this is the separation of classes in family flights: while Bennett himself flies in business class, his children fly in tourist class. His explanation for this is based on the desire not to create for them a reality that is too comfortable and to instill in them a work ethic, effort, and personal responsibility.
As part of these boundaries, Bennett insists that his children contribute to the maintenance of the house and work for their living, instead of relying on financial assistance:
"What I splurge on is books, and lots and lots of vacations with the family abroad, when we can. I fly business, the kids in tourist. I don't want it to be too easy for them. They need to work and make an effort, I don't want them to feel that it comes easily to them. My concept in raising children is to give them liberty, but they need to be responsible for themselves. I don't help them all day. They work, help at home. It's not healthy to get everything on a silver platter."
