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This question's gauche, but: given the prevalence of $400k++ comp packages for ~30-year-olds in Big Tech, why aren't there lots more "gentle[wo]man scholars"? i.e. people quitting to do non-remunerative creative projects I can think of some, but shouldn't there be thousands?

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•Jess• •9/100 recorded songs•

@utotranslucence

Jan 28

It feels like this is my entire friend group. Most doing trauma healing first, but then yes, lots of creative projects.

Andy Matuschak

@andy_matuschak

Jan 28

Maybe I just need to get a more interesting social circle! :)

•Jess• •9/100 recorded songs•

@utotranslucence

Jan 28

I can think of four friends who banked lots working for tech then quit, but in all cases their first priority was therapy, and in some cases has been for years since they quit. So maybe not evidence for your 'gentleman scholar' category.

Josh Horowitz

@qualmist

Jan 28

Yeah, I think there's some ambiguity here about what "creative projects" means. I know folk who have quit tech to pursue personal growth (involving much creativity), but I'm guessing Andy's interested in people working on ambitiously non-self-focused projects?

Replying to

and

Hm… the lines are fuzzy! "Quit to become an artist" would qualify for me, and that's pretty self-focused. "Quit to do therapy" doesn't feel quite the same… I guess I'm interested in it as a path to intellectual/creative/artistic freedom.

4:23 AM · Jan 28, 2022Twitter Web App

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