Okay, let’s talk about Alex Honnold. You know, the guy who climbed El Capitan without a rope and made the entire planet grip their armrests in terror.
Well, the universe apparently decided that wasn’t awkward enough. So it threw him a curveball that’s way more embarrassing than dangling 3,000 feet in the air.
We’re talking about the Taipei 101 climb. The one where he got paid by Netflix. And then things got… weird.
Must Read
Wait, He Climbed Taipei 101?
Yes! In 2023, Alex Honnold decided to scale Taipei 101. Not on the outside, mind you. That would be illegal and, frankly, a bit much for a Tuesday.
He climbed the stairs. All 2,046 of them. For a Netflix documentary called 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. It was supposed to be a cool, inspirational montage.
And it was. Until the internet found out what Netflix paid him.
The "Netflix Pay" Disaster
Here’s where it gets juicy. Honnold is famously frugal. He lives in a van. He eats beans from a can. He climbs death-defying rock faces for free.
So when Netflix shelled out a reported sum for the stunt, people went bonkers. The number? I can’t confirm it, but the rumor mill said it was shockingly low. Like, "I-spent-more-on-my-sandwich-at-lunch" low.
Suddenly, the guy who made clinging to a cliff look calm was the center of a massive oof moment. Social media had a field day.
"Alex Honnold climbed Taipei 101 for what I make in a week?" people screamed into the void. "Bro, you could have asked for more!"
But Here's the Twist
Honnold didn’t care. In interviews, he just shrugged. He said, “I do it for the love, not the money. The money is just a side effect.”
Alex Honnold's Historic Taipei 101 Climb: How Much He Was Paid
And that’s when the real embarrassment shifted. It wasn’t him. It was us.
We’re the ones who panic about our bank accounts while he’s chilling in a parking lot eating lentils. He’s the king of zero f*cks given.
The "Tommy Caldwell Effect"
Remember when his climbing partner, Tommy Caldwell, negotiated a much bigger paycheck for a different Netflix project? Yeah. Honnold didn’t.
He literally told his manager, “Just get me the project. Don’t worry about the zeros.” His manager probably cried into a pillow.
So when the Taipei 101 climb aired, people weren’t just watching him run up stairs. They were watching a masterclass in negotiation failure. And he didn’t even blink.
Did Netflix Lowball Him?
Probably. I mean, that’s what Netflix does. They offer you a bag of chips and a "thank you." And Honnold said, “Perfect, I love chips.”
It’s like watching your friend buy a house and then realize they forgot to ask about the price. “Oh, the check already cleared? Cool.”
The internet’s reaction was pure chaos. “Tax the rich!” vs. “Alex, you’re the rich! Ask for more!” It was a beautiful, messy dumpster fire.
Alex Honnold Says Netflix Paid Him an ‘Embarrassing Amount’ for Rope
And Then… The Ice Pick Incident
Oh, you thought that was the embarrassing part? Sit tight.
During the Taipei 101 climb, Honnold was wearing a headlamp. At one point, he reached into his pack and pulled out an ice pick. Not for ice. For absolutely no reason.
He just held it. The cinematographer was like, “Dude, what are you doing?” Honnold shrugged and said, “I don’t know. It felt cool.”
It was the most “I’m a main character” moment ever. And it was hilarious. The internet clipped it, looped it, and turned it into a meme. “Me holding my coffee at 7 AM vs. me holding my sanity at 3 PM.”
The "Embarrassing" Truth
Here’s the thing: Alex Honnold isn’t embarrassed by any of this. We are embarrassed for him.
We projected our own fear of being underpaid onto a guy who literally sleeps in a van by choice. He’s living in a different dimension of priorities.
He’s the friend who shows up to a black-tie event in cargo shorts and says, “What? They’re comfortable.” And everyone else is sweating in rentals.
But What About the Stairs?
Oh, right, the climb itself! He crushed it. 2,046 stairs in 19 minutes. That’s like running a skyscraper. He didn’t even look tired.
Alex Honnold Says Taipei 101 Climb Pay Was 'Embarrassing' | United States
He reached the top, sipped some water, and said, “Cool. What’s next?” Probably a trip to the grocery store for more lentils.
The Netflix cameras captured it all. The sweat, the focus, the random ice pick. It was peak Honnold—weird, inspiring, and a little bit cringe.
The Paycheck Angst
To this day, people ask: “Did he really get paid that little?” No one knows for sure. But the lack of a denial from Honnold is suspicious.
He once said in a podcast, “I don’t care about the money as long as I can keep climbing.” That’s either the most zen thing ever or the worst financial advice I’ve ever heard.
But honestly? Look at the guy. He’s radically content. That’s more embarrassing for the rest of us than anything else.
The Internet's Verdict
The memes were savage. One showed Honnold with a cash register sound effect. Another compared his pay to a McDonald’s shift manager’s weekly wage.
But the best one? A photo of him smiling with the caption: “Accidentally forgot to negotiate. Still happy. Life wins.”
He didn’t even get mad. He just climbed more rocks. The ultimate power move.
How Much Did Alex Honnold Get Paid For Climing Taipei 101 On Netflix?
What We Learned
So, what’s the moral of this story? Don’t be afraid to ask for a raise. Maybe take a lesson from Honnold’s book—but just the part about not caring, not the part about flying without a rope.
Also, never underestimate the power of pulling out a random ice pick. It confuses everyone.
But mostly, we learned that embarrassment is in the eye of the beholder. Honnold is out here, living his best life, climbing stairs for pocket change, and he’s happier than anyone on my LinkedIn feed.
Here's the Happy Ending
Now, let’s wrap this up with a smile. Because, honestly, this story is kind of beautiful.
Alex Honnold, the man who could probably demand a billion dollars for a handshake, chose to climb a giant building for a pittance. And he did it with a goofy grin and an ice pick he didn’t need.
It’s a reminder that success isn’t about the size of your paycheck. It’s about the size of your joy. And Alex’s joy is as big as Taipei 101 itself.
So next time you feel embarrassed about a work thing—like forgetting to cc your boss or accidentally liking an old Instagram photo—remember Alex. He got paid in beans, climbed stairs for a streaming giant, and is still the coolest human alive.
You do you. Climb your own weird, embarrassing, underpaid metaphorical stairs. And if anyone asks? Just pull out an ice pick. It works.
Happy climbing, friend. Good vibes only.