Exactly. I quit Google in 2017 to work on a promising start-up idea (generative AI chatbot for coding, a tad early on that one) and ended up raising barely any

Exactly. I quit Google in 2017 to work on a promising start-up idea (generative AI chatbot for coding, a tad early on that one) and ended up raising barely any money, running up massive CC debt to finance cost of living and GPUs, and taking a huge compounding opportunity cost to not continue growing as a FAANG SWE (not to mention missing out on the stock market run with the extra money I didn't have). I spent the last several years paying off that debt instead of buying a house or investing, etc. I'm massively behind in earnings and net worth compared to my colleagues who talk about their future startup idea but never struck out on their own. But I'm finally debt free and ready to risk my future yet again on another startup.