throwaway757

Since throwaway I can be totally transparent- I am obsessed with financial independence and providing for my family. Everything else is a means to it. I don’t really care for a “career” as society defines it. I also believe that you can (and should) do well while doing good. As such I agree. That building something the world needs is super critical but am not sure if I need to be as obsessed with the problem and solution. I am rather obsessed with the over arching idea of “build something people want”. Also with startups there is a high chance one may have to shift/pivot from the problem they started with.

Part of my challenge, (because of my obsession with build something people want) with jumping into my own startup is don’t have an “idea” or problem and how to go exploring it. So I feel I don’t have anything that people want. Since you have done a startup can you share anything that helped you through the ideating phase to pick a direction to start with? Any books or resources would also be great that expand on the ideating phase. If I had an understanding of how to go through that journey I would do that in my spare time and that would also allow me to jump into the idea more confidently when the time came.

The family respects it a lot. We don’t have any extravagant expenses. We try to live only on salary and RSUs go untouched. The partner would work in a heartbeat but we’d take an absolute nose dive in quality of life as we’d be running from work duties to house duties to kid duties to work duties (based on prior personal experience) While I personally would be willing to suffer such a life I don’t thinks it fair for kids to get the tiered, grumpy and curt parents. We brought them into this world and we owe them better if we can (if my backs against the wall sure all of that can go out of the window )

We have one life and there is something to be said about raising kids in a home environment that is “healthy” especially when we brought them into this world. I feel especially strongly about this as my kids are still little (< 10 years)

Totally understand that this may not be a point of view shared across the masses - specially here in USA where the general attitude is everybody is doing it so you shouldnt crib about it. For us our kids are a big priority and not sacrifing the evnromment they are raised in is a core value. Fyi I don’t mean environment as physically the size of house we live in etc it’s the softer thing - the home atmosphere. I live in a small apartment and we are cool with it. More importantly we live in a happy home.

> Have you joined your current company only very recently

Yes. ~4.5 years. Prior was small companies.

> ~FU Money

In the words of JL Collins (youtube him for fu money) ,to me , it’s about operating from a place where you have options to say no to things that does not interest you. I would still work but not for “the man” and deal with the politics and be on the receiving end of task given by people who are above me simply trying to further their agenda and/or have no idea the real need of the organization/team/customer etc

If I were to think in a measured manner it would be very hard but not impossible. Uncertainty would be around the duration it would take to get in. Could be months to years given how these things work and it’s circumstantial nature.

Yup soloprenuer is what I also think of might be a decent middle ground, but then what you said is what makes it less desirable - low chance of success because of not being all in. Kinda like “he who chases two hares catches none” - some Russian author if I remember correctly

How did your risk turn out for you? What would you do differently if you were to do it again?

Good point about initiative, should have listed in the facts section: shared a few proposals on how to improve things in my org and it didn’t go anywhere. Two reasons 1) don’t have funding atm 2) reorg where bought in leader left. The reality is my org is not in a growth mode. HC is 0 for this year and next most probably

How should I think about the opportunity cost of leaving? Working where I work as been the biggest contributor to my net worth. I don’t come from means. Nobody has ever seen money like this in my family so I feel I would be naive or stupid to give it up. Thoughts ?

Thanks for sharing. Any thoughts on what kind of therapy helps here. I have no idea where to start. Psychological or Psychiatric or something else?

Little over a year (but that would deplete my cash savings. )

> Why not?

It’s a good question and I don’t know the answer. I wish I knew the answer as I know it would help me. I show up and I just am not motivated as I feel like what’s the point. There is no reward (for me) or appreciation or any real benefit to what I provide (as I see leadership factions questioning my project and general politics of furthering their own agenda for their own growth. I am all for doing the work but if I know there is no growth for me here what’s the point.

> Why don’t you see a path

So many reorgs and changes of directions every few months. I know my (mid level) manager is a good person but he has no choice but the feed be BS that you will be promoted in a year or so and hang in there. I would do the same if I were in his shoes cos I know he has no control of any of this.

> how long can I support my family. At least a year (depleting all my cash savings)

I wonder a lot if am I an anomaly or there are a lot of people in FANGs just like this.

Thanks for the Joe Truzman link

Usually I like nytimes but these days cant even bring myself to open it. It’s soo one sided that anything with more than 2 brain cells can see through that. Look at the atrocities in Israel (and I agree it’s beyond horrible and I fully condem it) but even if they put a quarter of their energy compared to what the spend covering Israel in to reporting about the conditions that multiple generations of apartheid Palestinians has faced they can provide a balanced view and help people understand the conflict. They have such a huge platform but it’s such waste that they promote a once sided view.