5 ms·

Unless you are already worth billions if an exit would net you 9 figures its a no-brainer to sell.

riazrizvi 9mo ago
Is it? So you can what? Buy exotic vehicles? Buy extra houses? Buy surgeries? Buy expensive experiences? All you find is stuff, presented as super valuable, and people very very keen to sell it to you. They’ll do whatever you want. It attracts a certain kind of person. The people who have the means for this lifestyle seem mostly disappointed. It’s not the situation this guy has created for himself. His life has meaning, he’s of value to his employees and customers and partners.
- dmacj 9mo ago
  I’m sure there are many other more meaningful options, none of which start with the word “buy”.
  - trollbridge 9mo ago
    But then money has nothing at all to do with such options.
- websiteapi 9mo ago
  you're seriously lacking in imagination if all you can think of is that.
- afavour 9mo ago
  So that you have security for the rest of your life and your children have security for the rest of theirs. And likely their children as well. Not everthing bought with money is superficial. Certainly a lot is less superficial than dedicating your life to “in app payments made easy”. Turning down generational wealth so you can continue to pursue your dream of being a tech CEO seems like a wildly selfish decision to me. Just start a new company!
  - ryandrake 9mo ago
    I just don't understand the mentality of the author. 9 figures is generational wealth, potentially perpetually with good multi-generational money management plan. With that kind of money invested, you have beaten the game, and can literally do any side quest you want to do, forever. This is the biggest no-brainer ever. What the fuck are you waiting for? Similarly, I don't understand why the CxOs in my current (BigTech) company still work. You're done. You can do anything you want and yet you voluntarily continue to amass more?
    - jonas21 9mo ago
      > Similarly, I don't understand why the CxOs in my current (BigTech) company still work. You're done. You can do anything you want Has it occurred to you that perhaps what they want is to be the CxO of a big tech company? There’s a lot of power, prestige, and impact on society that you can’t easily have if you quit. Maybe they really enjoy the work itself too.
      - scubbo 9mo ago
        You can just say "sociopath", it's faster.
      - objektif 9mo ago
        Yeah what he is not understanding is they are already doing what they wanted in life.
    - fragmede 9mo ago
      Because it's genuinely not about the money for them. It's hard to believe, but some people really do want to make the world better in their way, with whatever tools they have that their disposal.
      - scubbo 9mo ago
        Companies do not make the world better.
- nawgz 9mo ago
  You're right, financial freedom is completely unfulfilling, instead it's really meaningful and impactful to be involved in a tech economy whose primary value has been in undermining democracy and social systems!
- chollida1 9mo ago
  > Is it? So you can what? Buy exotic vehicles? Buy extra houses? Buy surgeries? Buy expensive experiences? Buy freedom to chose what to do with your life. I've never sold a company and netted 9 figures but i have been lucky enough to work for a hedge fund and make enough that I and my family can do what ever we want from the age of 30 onwards. That is an incredible amount of freedom and one that I wish most people would have. You seem to think only in materialistic ways. But having enough money to not have to work again allows you to be a better and more available parent. To be able to provide your kids and nieces and nephews with schooling to put them apart from other kids. Its not always about owning another home, Just knowing that my kids are set for life before they start their own lives in case something happens to me was enough for me. Lots of us think of others before ourselves.
- louthy 9mo ago
  > Is it? So you can what? Buy exotic vehicles? Buy extra houses? Buy surgeries? Buy expensive experiences? Regain your own time. As a former CTO who has recently exited, recovering my own time again is more valuable to me than the money (although the money means I can retain my own time going forward). > His life has meaning, he’s of value to his employees and customers and partners. Your work is not you and if you think that way, you're gonna be crushed when you come to retire. Even though I loved what I did for a career, it's better to do what you love for yourself, not "employees and customers and partners". Many people have other interests outside of building tech, but even if building tech is your only thing, exiting is a chance at starting something fresh and on your own terms.
  - riazrizvi 9mo ago
    You can live in the heart of San Francisco on $2k/mo, including rent. You don’t need to work 10hours a week as a software developer, to support that lifestyle. I could fit a solar system in the gap between your two options of a) full time CTO or b) 9 figures to ‘win back your time’. Personally I believe you’ve been operating on autopilot, and not designing your life to suit your own needs.
    - louthy 9mo ago
      > Personally I believe you’ve been operating on autopilot, and not designing your life to suit your own needs. You have no idea about me at all, so please don't insult me by thinking that you do.
    - jondwillis 9mo ago
      Bro, what? $2k? I just double checked and everything available for less than $2k is awful if you care about, IDK, having a family, a pet, a kitchen, outdoor space, green space, not having to share everything, including peace and quiet, with a revolving cast of characters. Not that these things are required to “live,” but I certainly am not interested in making these tradeoffs.
      - paradox460 9mo ago
- jwilber 9mo ago
  You must be fortunate to have a lived experience where the answer isn’t immediately (and obviously) financial security. Also: plenty of meaning outside of running a SaaS. Hell, undergraduate research assistants probably contribute more to societal at large.
- throw-12-16 9mo ago
  Absolutely hilarious take.
- SecretDreams 9mo ago
  > His life has meaning Did his life not have meaning before he started this company?
asah 9mo ago
almost: just cut a deal to allow partial liquidity, ideally via a vehicle that avoids tax events, e.g. loan
- objektif 9mo ago
  Can you expand on this please?

Is it? So you can what? Buy exotic vehicles? Buy extra houses? Buy surgeries? Buy expensive experiences? All you find is stuff, presented as super valuable, and people very very keen to sell it to you. They’ll do whatever you want. It attracts a certain kind of person. The people who have the means for this lifestyle seem mostly disappointed. It’s not the situation this guy has created for himself. His life has meaning, he’s of value to his employees and customers and partners.

dmacj 9mo ago
I’m sure there are many other more meaningful options, none of which start with the word “buy”.
- trollbridge 9mo ago
  But then money has nothing at all to do with such options.
websiteapi 9mo ago
you're seriously lacking in imagination if all you can think of is that.
afavour 9mo ago
So that you have security for the rest of your life and your children have security for the rest of theirs. And likely their children as well. Not everthing bought with money is superficial. Certainly a lot is less superficial than dedicating your life to “in app payments made easy”. Turning down generational wealth so you can continue to pursue your dream of being a tech CEO seems like a wildly selfish decision to me. Just start a new company!
- ryandrake 9mo ago
  I just don't understand the mentality of the author. 9 figures is generational wealth, potentially perpetually with good multi-generational money management plan. With that kind of money invested, you have beaten the game, and can literally do any side quest you want to do, forever. This is the biggest no-brainer ever. What the fuck are you waiting for? Similarly, I don't understand why the CxOs in my current (BigTech) company still work. You're done. You can do anything you want and yet you voluntarily continue to amass more?
  - jonas21 9mo ago
    > Similarly, I don't understand why the CxOs in my current (BigTech) company still work. You're done. You can do anything you want Has it occurred to you that perhaps what they want is to be the CxO of a big tech company? There’s a lot of power, prestige, and impact on society that you can’t easily have if you quit. Maybe they really enjoy the work itself too.
    - scubbo 9mo ago
      You can just say "sociopath", it's faster.
    - objektif 9mo ago
      Yeah what he is not understanding is they are already doing what they wanted in life.
  - fragmede 9mo ago
    Because it's genuinely not about the money for them. It's hard to believe, but some people really do want to make the world better in their way, with whatever tools they have that their disposal.
    - scubbo 9mo ago
      Companies do not make the world better.
nawgz 9mo ago
You're right, financial freedom is completely unfulfilling, instead it's really meaningful and impactful to be involved in a tech economy whose primary value has been in undermining democracy and social systems!
chollida1 9mo ago
> Is it? So you can what? Buy exotic vehicles? Buy extra houses? Buy surgeries? Buy expensive experiences? Buy freedom to chose what to do with your life. I've never sold a company and netted 9 figures but i have been lucky enough to work for a hedge fund and make enough that I and my family can do what ever we want from the age of 30 onwards. That is an incredible amount of freedom and one that I wish most people would have. You seem to think only in materialistic ways. But having enough money to not have to work again allows you to be a better and more available parent. To be able to provide your kids and nieces and nephews with schooling to put them apart from other kids. Its not always about owning another home, Just knowing that my kids are set for life before they start their own lives in case something happens to me was enough for me. Lots of us think of others before ourselves.
louthy 9mo ago
> Is it? So you can what? Buy exotic vehicles? Buy extra houses? Buy surgeries? Buy expensive experiences? Regain your own time. As a former CTO who has recently exited, recovering my own time again is more valuable to me than the money (although the money means I can retain my own time going forward). > His life has meaning, he’s of value to his employees and customers and partners. Your work is not you and if you think that way, you're gonna be crushed when you come to retire. Even though I loved what I did for a career, it's better to do what you love for yourself, not "employees and customers and partners". Many people have other interests outside of building tech, but even if building tech is your only thing, exiting is a chance at starting something fresh and on your own terms.
- riazrizvi 9mo ago
  You can live in the heart of San Francisco on $2k/mo, including rent. You don’t need to work 10hours a week as a software developer, to support that lifestyle. I could fit a solar system in the gap between your two options of a) full time CTO or b) 9 figures to ‘win back your time’. Personally I believe you’ve been operating on autopilot, and not designing your life to suit your own needs.
  - louthy 9mo ago
    > Personally I believe you’ve been operating on autopilot, and not designing your life to suit your own needs. You have no idea about me at all, so please don't insult me by thinking that you do.
  - jondwillis 9mo ago
    Bro, what? $2k? I just double checked and everything available for less than $2k is awful if you care about, IDK, having a family, a pet, a kitchen, outdoor space, green space, not having to share everything, including peace and quiet, with a revolving cast of characters. Not that these things are required to “live,” but I certainly am not interested in making these tradeoffs.
    - paradox460 9mo ago
jwilber 9mo ago
You must be fortunate to have a lived experience where the answer isn’t immediately (and obviously) financial security. Also: plenty of meaning outside of running a SaaS. Hell, undergraduate research assistants probably contribute more to societal at large.
throw-12-16 9mo ago
Absolutely hilarious take.
SecretDreams 9mo ago
> His life has meaning Did his life not have meaning before he started this company?

asah 9mo ago

almost: just cut a deal to allow partial liquidity, ideally via a vehicle that avoids tax events, e.g. loan

objektif 9mo ago
Can you expand on this please?