Shock as Man Leaves MacBook Unattended in Starbucks

Millions of people online were shocked to see a man's laptop wasn't stolen in a Starbucks in Singapore despite it being left there unattended for an hour—on purpose.

Uptin Saiidi spoke to Newsweek about his viral TikTok video which has received over 20 million views and more than 2.9 million likes.

The video creator, from California, posted the video to his account @uptin on October 24.

But it is not a surprise for many as Singapore remains the second most peaceful nation in the Asia Pacific region for the third consecutive year on the Global Peace Index.

Because of this and three other reasons, Saiidi felt confident his MacBook would still be there, in the video he said:

1. Honesty and fairness are a big part of their culture.
2. Basic needs are met so people don't feel like they need to resort to crime.
3. Surveillance—There are currently 90,000 cameras in place.

The cameras are a major deterrent to crime and so is the punishment. The Singapore Government Agency website states "whoever commits theft shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both."

Saiidi told Newsweek: "As an American, it is fascinating to me that I can leave my MacBook Pro laptop in a Starbucks in Singapore and comfortably walk away for an hour and know with almost certainty that it will still be there.

"I once had my iPhone snatched right out of my hands while walking down the streets in London. I also did the experiment in Dubai and was fairly confident the MacBook Pro would not be touched—sure enough, I was right!

"One thing I've noticed amongst Singaporeans is whenever I talk about their low crime rate, they're quick to comment, 'low crime does not mean no crime'—and that's a message that the government shares to not provoke bad actors within their society."

More than 13,000 people have commented on the video and the top comment alone has received 176,500 likes, it said: "Basic needs are met, I think that's the most important part."

Another wrote: "This is a very expensive social experiment."

Speaking from experience, one user wrote: "I live in Singapore and left my phone at a bus stop and the next day it was in a plastic bag taped to the wall with a note saying lost phone."

Some people have commented to say the complete opposite would happen if it was in their hometown.

"In London, it'll get stolen even if you're sat in front of it," said one user.

Another user said: "Here in South America they would take the laptop, the phone, the camera, your name, your wife, your self-confidence, and your house."

Saiidi has shared another experiment with Newsweek where the same thing happens. In the video, Saiidi leaves his MacBook Pro on a table outside a Starbucks in Dubai for 45 minutes and returns to find nobody has taken it.