There are many people who reach the director level and then transition careers outside of tech, because they can no longer get hired at that level. This is esp

There are many people who reach the director level and then transition careers outside of tech, because they can no longer get hired at that level. This is especially common during a downturn, when there's less money to go around for people who are "inspiring", but can't "roll up their sleeves" or earn the respect of those who do. Depending on how long you've been in the industry, it might be because your sample size falls within the anomalous period of 2001-2022. Expect to see a bunch of ex-tech directors opening bakeries, breweries, consulting/"life-coaching" practices, etc. I don't think I'd call it falling downwards, more like surfing tangentially. It's still a pretty comfortable and fulfilling life, but I wouldn't describe it as up, up & away. [edit] this is pretty hard to disambiguate from the "fuck you money" types described by a sibling commenter, superficially, but there is a wide distribution of net worths in this group.