Why Did Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s Tweet Become The Most Retweeted Tweet

The Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa posted a tweet on January 5, which has now raked in more than 5.4 million retweets and 1.5 million likes. Yusaku Maezawa’s tweet has become the most retweeted tweet of all time!

Who is billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and why did his tweet take off?

Yusaku Maezawa, 43 years old, is the founder of Japanese online clothing retailer Zozo Inc, which operates online clothing store Zozotown. He is believed to have a personal wealth of close to $3 billion.

The tweet appeared to be in celebration of his website Zozotown making 10 billion yen in sales over the Christmas and New Year period.

However, the popular tweet comes at a price.

Maezawa announced on Twitter that he would give away a total of 100 million Japanese yen, equivalent to over US$918,100, to 100 randomly selected people who retweeted his tweet and follow him on Twitter.

“To participate, all you have to do is follow me and RT this tweet,” he said.

ZOZOTOWN新春セールが史上最速で取扱高100億円を先ほど突破！！日頃の感謝を込め、僕個人から100名様に100万円【総額1億円のお年玉】を現金でプレゼントします。応募方法は、僕をフォローいただいた上、このツイートをRTするだけ。受付は1/7まで。当選者には僕から直接DMします！ #月に行くならお年玉 pic.twitter.com/cKQfPPbOI3

— Yusaku Maezawa (MZ) 前澤友作 (@yousuck2020) January 5, 2019

Maezawa tweet, which was posted in Japanese, translates to:

“Zozotown Spring Sale is the fastest in history and topped 10 billion yen!!

With a daily appreciation, I will give 100 million yen (total of gifts million yen) in cash.

The only way to apply is to follow me and RT this tweet. The reception is up to 1/7. I will direct DM the winner!”

The Japanese arm of Twitter Inc. said Maezawa’s tweet does not violate its terms of service.

Maezawa became famous in September 2018 after he was named as the first private passenger due to be flown around the moon by SpaceX’s Starship vehicle in 2023.  Another famous billionaire, Elon Musk owns SpaceX. With a personal wealth of $22.4 billion, Elon Musk is the 35th richest person in the world.