4 ms·
Ask HN: Where are the financially independent hackers?
I'm sure there are a lot of people here who have successfully exited a startup, or have taken the FIRE[1] route and saved enough money to be financially independent. I've done the latter, and in a few months I'm thinking of "retiring early" and leaving the workplace behind.
I just don't want to deal with office politics anymore, or prioritize what I work on based on profits (over how much it helps people, or how technically interesting it is). But I still want to code, and I still want to meet smart people to code with (in person, once this pandemic is over, because fully remote doesn't do it for me).
The problem is that I normally meet other programmers at work, conferences, and meetups. And nearly everyone there is driven by their careers at for-profit companies. So I think I need to look elsewhere.
Are you a financially independent hacker? What does your "retirement" look like, and where do you meet other people like you?
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIRE_movement
- draw_down 6y agoYes, I am approaching it, from equity in the company I work for. I don’t want to keep on with computers and coding when I finish. I despise our industry and corporate America generally, but also as someone here once said, the world has lots of sandboxes to play in. I’ve spent an awful lot of time in this one and it’s time to move on. I’d rather focus on things like gardening, playing music, fixing up old cars, helping others, hiking.
- jimmyvalmer 6y agoI'm one, and it hasn't worked out. Went back to school for a spell, futzed with open source projects, but I lack the entrepreneurial gene, and it's a daily existential struggle. First world problems, I know.
- throwaway5750 6y ago:( It’s sad that everyone’s all about money, but I also understand that few have the privilege to not need to be. What did you do, did you go back to a regular job?