6 ms·

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, an

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 10mo ago
I’m sure there are many other more meaningful options, none of which start with the word “buy”.
- trollbridge 10mo ago
  But then money has nothing at all to do with such options.
websiteapi 10mo ago
you're seriously lacking in imagination if all you can think of is that.
afavour 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo ago
      You can just say "sociopath", it's faster.
    - objektif 10mo ago
      Yeah what he is not understanding is they are already doing what they wanted in life.
  - fragmede 10mo 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 10mo ago
      Companies do not make the world better.
      - stoneforger 10mo ago
        The Kool Aid is strong, remember this is the forum of an incubator. One has to believe to drink the whole cup.
      - skrebbel 10mo ago
        The company that made my robot vacuum cleaner definitely made my world better.
- riazrizvi 10mo ago
  Anyone can have security by living very safely within their means, by learning how to be satisfied. What people really mean when they say what you are proposing, is “guarantee a certain future lifestyle”. But the appeal of future lifestyles depends on not obtaining them. Without an ability to be satisfied, acquisition is always disappointing. It’s why a pay raise in a job that doesn’t address your needs, loses its shine after a month or so.
  - afavour 10mo ago
    As someone who has experienced family adversity in my life (health, disability) I couldn’t disagree with you more. Things happen. Expensive things. The security to be able to afford expansive cancer care without worry, to pay for therapy and specialized schooling for your child… these are huge, huge things and they happen to you (or your children, or your children’s children) no matter what you do or don’t do. This isn’t just about being happy to be frugal.
    - riazrizvi 10mo ago
      Things happen, it’s true. And in the world there are many enterprises that spring up to present solutions as long as you fork over all your cash, and here in the USA, based on the market, that means lots and lots of cash. That’s just a perspective on hardship, it’s not the only way. People deal with hardships with many many tools. My favorite tools are dignity, grace, courage, personal strength, and ingenuity. Money is another tool, yes, but it tends to prevent mastery of the others. Elsewhere in the comments there was talk about legacy. You can give your kids a bank account, and the examples that you had money to pay off problems. Or you can give them something else through your example. I choose the latter.
      - afavour 10mo ago
        With respect, those words feel very empty. Face the prospect of, say, chemotherapy you can’t afford or death. See how you feel about dignity and grace then.
- bcantrill 10mo ago
  I know from the outside this seems very simple, but it's more complicated than that. Certainly, if the objective is (merely) security for one's children, that can be secured with much (much) less money (and likely was secured in the secondary that the author makes reference to); having nine figures of wealth is not an unvarnished good, and in particular makes raising grounded, self-reliant kids pretty complicated. To appreciate this dynamic, read Graeme Wood's outstanding 2011 piece in The Atlantic, "The Secret Fears of the Super-Rich"[0]. [0] https://web.archive.org/web/20190422235813/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/04/secret-fears-of-the-super-rich/308419/ https://web.archive.org/web/20190422235813/https://www.theat...
  - afavour 10mo ago
    > having nine figures of wealth is not an unvarnished good, and in particular makes raising grounded, self-reliant kids pretty complicated Sure, but I’m pretty sure if you asked those parents if they’d rather lose all their money to make parenting easier their answer would be a resounding “no”.
    - bcantrill 10mo ago
      Those aren't the choices. You don't understand how the poster passed on nine figures -- but if the secondary sale netted 7 figures (likely), the choice is in fact between having enough wealth to have total security for one's family versus having so much wealth that the wealth itself creates anxiety.
      - afavour 10mo ago
        Then have someone manage the money away from you. Put it in a lifetime trust, whatever. The idea that you’d turn down that sum of money because of the anxiety it would cause you is simply not logical.
      - ridruejo 10mo ago
        Correct. The secondary provides the safety net to confidently swing for the fences.
- rapidfl 10mo ago
  If he had children, the decision would have been influenced by that. So that was my first guess, he probably has no kids. Will accept, I have no idea about his personal situation. Also feel the HN crowd may downvote my comment because it is not phrased correctly.
nawgz 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo ago
jwilber 10mo 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 10mo ago
Absolutely hilarious take.
SecretDreams 10mo ago
> His life has meaning Did his life not have meaning before he started this company?

dmacj 10mo ago

I’m sure there are many other more meaningful options, none of which start with the word “buy”.

trollbridge 10mo ago
But then money has nothing at all to do with such options.

websiteapi 10mo ago

you're seriously lacking in imagination if all you can think of is that.

afavour 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo ago
    You can just say "sociopath", it's faster.
  - objektif 10mo ago
    Yeah what he is not understanding is they are already doing what they wanted in life.
- fragmede 10mo 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 10mo ago
    Companies do not make the world better.
    - stoneforger 10mo ago
      The Kool Aid is strong, remember this is the forum of an incubator. One has to believe to drink the whole cup.
    - skrebbel 10mo ago
      The company that made my robot vacuum cleaner definitely made my world better.
riazrizvi 10mo ago
Anyone can have security by living very safely within their means, by learning how to be satisfied. What people really mean when they say what you are proposing, is “guarantee a certain future lifestyle”. But the appeal of future lifestyles depends on not obtaining them. Without an ability to be satisfied, acquisition is always disappointing. It’s why a pay raise in a job that doesn’t address your needs, loses its shine after a month or so.
- afavour 10mo ago
  As someone who has experienced family adversity in my life (health, disability) I couldn’t disagree with you more. Things happen. Expensive things. The security to be able to afford expansive cancer care without worry, to pay for therapy and specialized schooling for your child… these are huge, huge things and they happen to you (or your children, or your children’s children) no matter what you do or don’t do. This isn’t just about being happy to be frugal.
  - riazrizvi 10mo ago
    Things happen, it’s true. And in the world there are many enterprises that spring up to present solutions as long as you fork over all your cash, and here in the USA, based on the market, that means lots and lots of cash. That’s just a perspective on hardship, it’s not the only way. People deal with hardships with many many tools. My favorite tools are dignity, grace, courage, personal strength, and ingenuity. Money is another tool, yes, but it tends to prevent mastery of the others. Elsewhere in the comments there was talk about legacy. You can give your kids a bank account, and the examples that you had money to pay off problems. Or you can give them something else through your example. I choose the latter.
    - afavour 10mo ago
      With respect, those words feel very empty. Face the prospect of, say, chemotherapy you can’t afford or death. See how you feel about dignity and grace then.
bcantrill 10mo ago
I know from the outside this seems very simple, but it's more complicated than that. Certainly, if the objective is (merely) security for one's children, that can be secured with much (much) less money (and likely was secured in the secondary that the author makes reference to); having nine figures of wealth is not an unvarnished good, and in particular makes raising grounded, self-reliant kids pretty complicated. To appreciate this dynamic, read Graeme Wood's outstanding 2011 piece in The Atlantic, "The Secret Fears of the Super-Rich"[0]. [0] https://web.archive.org/web/20190422235813/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/04/secret-fears-of-the-super-rich/308419/ https://web.archive.org/web/20190422235813/https://www.theat...
- afavour 10mo ago
  > having nine figures of wealth is not an unvarnished good, and in particular makes raising grounded, self-reliant kids pretty complicated Sure, but I’m pretty sure if you asked those parents if they’d rather lose all their money to make parenting easier their answer would be a resounding “no”.
  - bcantrill 10mo ago
    Those aren't the choices. You don't understand how the poster passed on nine figures -- but if the secondary sale netted 7 figures (likely), the choice is in fact between having enough wealth to have total security for one's family versus having so much wealth that the wealth itself creates anxiety.
    - afavour 10mo ago
      Then have someone manage the money away from you. Put it in a lifetime trust, whatever. The idea that you’d turn down that sum of money because of the anxiety it would cause you is simply not logical.
    - ridruejo 10mo ago
      Correct. The secondary provides the safety net to confidently swing for the fences.
rapidfl 10mo ago
If he had children, the decision would have been influenced by that. So that was my first guess, he probably has no kids. Will accept, I have no idea about his personal situation. Also feel the HN crowd may downvote my comment because it is not phrased correctly.

nawgz 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo 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 10mo ago

jwilber 10mo 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 10mo ago

Absolutely hilarious take.

SecretDreams 10mo ago

> His life has meaning Did his life not have meaning before he started this company?