HACKER Q&A
📣 throwaway5750

Where are the financially independent hackers?


I'm sure there are a lot of people here who have successfully exited a startup, or have taken the FIRE[1] route and saved enough money to be financially independent. I've done the latter, and in a few months I'm thinking of "retiring early" and leaving the workplace behind.

I just don't want to deal with office politics anymore, or prioritize what I work on based on profits (over how much it helps people, or how technically interesting it is). But I still want to code, and I still want to meet smart people to code with (in person, once this pandemic is over, because fully remote doesn't do it for me).

The problem is that I normally meet other programmers at work, conferences, and meetups. And nearly everyone there is driven by their careers at for-profit companies. So I think I need to look elsewhere.

Are you a financially independent hacker? What does your "retirement" look like, and where do you meet other people like you?

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIRE_movement


  👤 jimmyvalmer Accepted Answer ✓
I'm one, and it hasn't worked out. Went back to school for a spell, futzed with open source projects, but I lack the entrepreneurial gene, and it's a daily existential struggle. First world problems, I know.