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How long ago and how much money - because I'm speaking of recently... I think things have changed over the last 10 years and I don't really see anyone who is li

How long ago and how much money - because I'm speaking of recently... I think things have changed over the last 10 years and I don't really see anyone who is like what you're talking about. If you're talking about someone who managed to get into a 6-figure job - not really a significant talking point. I'm speaking more of fatFIRE type money - which is common among people here and that is downplayed quite often. I've really not met anyone under 30 in the last 7 years who fits anything near what you're speaking of. Almost everyone is from an affluent background. About half of my colleagues went to Ivy Leagues or adjacent. It's not very common to see people here who are from poverty and are young. Maybe it's more common among the 50+ crowd where it was more plausible to make your way here with little money (when your average 1000sqft home wasn't $2m+) - but it's basically unseen among the young here. Again - I'm one of these people you're speaking of. So, it's not really like I don't exist but I've yet to meet someone like myself here. (And, I'll admit - I mostly speak to people in tech who are under 40 and are currently living here)

jandrewrogers 5y ago
I'm talking about people that I know are at least in fatFIRE range that started life somewhere between abject poverty and burger flipper. Their income is not relevant here, and some make seven-figures today. I am in Seattle now, but it is essentially the same as Silicon Valley in that regard. Little has changed; I know young people that started on that journey quite recently that are well on their way. Your "under 30" criterion may be your problem, that selects for a very narrow set of circumstances while excluding most actually wealthy people. Virtually no one becomes wealthy before 30. Especially if you are starting from less than zero, like people that come from true poverty. Anecdotally, they usually enter fatFIRE territory in their 40s. Until very recently, tech did not pay a typical wage where someone could fatFIRE easily. Most of the people I know did it before that was a thing, without any big exits to pad their net worth. They did it the old fashioned way. Again, I find it pretty bizarre that people in the US think it is exceptionally rare that people born into poverty become quite wealthy. In that community, there are often many examples of people that "got out" by various means, many going on to become quite wealthy. In the tech locales, that is multiplied dramatically because it is so easy for a moderately ambitious person to make silly money. Easiest ticket to wealth for a poor person ever, if they are willing to put in the effort.

jandrewrogers 5y ago

I'm talking about people that I know are at least in fatFIRE range that started life somewhere between abject poverty and burger flipper. Their income is not relevant here, and some make seven-figures today. I am in Seattle now, but it is essentially the same as Silicon Valley in that regard. Little has changed; I know young people that started on that journey quite recently that are well on their way. Your "under 30" criterion may be your problem, that selects for a very narrow set of circumstances while excluding most actually wealthy people. Virtually no one becomes wealthy before 30. Especially if you are starting from less than zero, like people that come from true poverty. Anecdotally, they usually enter fatFIRE territory in their 40s. Until very recently, tech did not pay a typical wage where someone could fatFIRE easily. Most of the people I know did it before that was a thing, without any big exits to pad their net worth. They did it the old fashioned way. Again, I find it pretty bizarre that people in the US think it is exceptionally rare that people born into poverty become quite wealthy. In that community, there are often many examples of people that "got out" by various means, many going on to become quite wealthy. In the tech locales, that is multiplied dramatically because it is so easy for a moderately ambitious person to make silly money. Easiest ticket to wealth for a poor person ever, if they are willing to put in the effort.