I quit Meta to build an AI startup. Giving up a Big Tech salary was tough — here's how I prepared financially.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
Jason White
Jason White

Jason White

I quit my $390K tech job to start my own business. I still question my decision, but this is the first time in years I've woken up excited for life.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Shiyao Tang sitting on edge of couch
Shiyao Tang says she spent 5 months planning her exit from her $390K job.

Shiyao Tang

A millennial quit a 6-figure job at Google to pursue more meaningful work: 'I wanted more out of my career and my life.'

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Environment
Joslyn Orgill
Joslyn Orgill

Joslyn Orgill

I quit my job to travel. Here's how the time off helped me rethink my career.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
A woman and a dog pose together
Nurya Doorenbos with her dog during a European road trip she took after quitting her job in the spring.

Maxim Muylaert

I quit my job to pursue a better opportunity, but then I was fired. I'm now forced to rethink my whole career.

Tech Insider : Business
a man packing up his desk and looking distraught
The author lost his job and had to start over.

Lacheev/Getty Images

I'm 47 and quit my job without having anything else lined up. I didn't want to live a life with regrets.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Woman working from home
The author now works from her kitchen table.

Courtesy of the author

I quit Apple and had to rebuild my life at 40. Starting over has taught me how to value my whole self.

Tech Insider : Business
Cher Scarlett taking a selfie
Cher Scarlett said she didn't realize how hard it would be to find a job after leaving Apple.

Cher Scarlett

I have 4 kids. I'm raising them to be quitters.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Sports
The author with one of her children.
The author said that some parents she knows see quitting as a failure. By contrast, she encourages her kids to quit things that no longer suit them.

Courtesy of Rachel Garlinghouse

I was scared when I quit my $700k job — but taking the risk taught me an important lesson about money and happiness

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Jay Gengelbach
Gengelbahc quit his job at Verily in mid-2024

Courtesy of Suzanne Tadros Photography; BI

I quit Google after 18 years on the job. It was scary but I did it well — here's how.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Travel
Jenny Wood
Jenny Wood quit her 18-year career at Google, where she was an executive. She reflected on how she made the decision to leave and how she quit well.

Tim Gillies; BI

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