Harsh Goenka Reacts to Delhi Man Selling Ancestral Gold for iPhone 18 Pro Max

Q: Is trading appreciating ancestral gold for a rapidly depreciating smartphone the ultimate symbol of modern consumerism or just true love?

It is far more a symbol of modern consumerism than a model of sound financial judgment, even if the gesture was framed as love. The facts are straightforward: the man said he sold ancestral gold inherited from his grandmother and great-grandmother to buy his wife an iPhone 18 Pro in Burgundy during Apple’s launch-day frenzy in Noida. In India, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at about Rs 1.64 lakh and the Pro Max at about Rs 1.79 lakh. A premium smartphone is a fast-depreciating product that typically loses value within months and is often replaced in a few years. Gold, by contrast, is widely treated as a store of value and a long-term asset, especially when it is family jewellery with both financial and emotional significance. That is why critics, including Harsh Goenka’s online audience, saw the trade as a poor exchange of an appreciating asset for a luxury purchase. The issue is not affection itself, but the economics of converting intergenerational wealth into a discretionary gadget. Still, calling it only consumerism misses part of the picture. The buyer said he had enough inherited gold, wanted to surprise his wife, and acted from a “live for today” mindset amid uncertainty about future income. If true, the purchase reflects both emotional intent and aspirational consumption. In practical terms, it is best understood as love expressed through a highly consumerist choice: emotionally genuine perhaps, but financially hard to defend.

3 articles · Updated · TradingView · Sep 18

Harsh Goenka amplified a viral video of a Delhi man who said he sold inherited family gold to buy his wife an iPhone 18 Pro Max as a surprise.
September 18 marked the sales launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in India, where buyers queued outside stores from early morning and online clips captured the rush.
In the video Goenka shared on X, the man said the gold came from his grandmother and great-grandmother and that he sold only part of what he had inherited.
Social media responses largely criticized the choice, with users contrasting gold as an appreciating asset against a premium smartphone likely to depreciate within a few years.