Loom’s Indian-origin co-founder Vinay Hiremath, who sold his company to Atlassian for $975 million in 2023, recently revealed about the insecurities he has experienced after acquiring immense wealth.
In a blog post titled “I’m Rich and I Don’t Know What to Do with My Life”, Mr. Hiremath reflected on his struggle to find purpose after selling his company. He wrote, “Life has been a blur this past year. After selling my company, I find myself in the completely disconnected state of never having to work again. Everything feels like an extra pursuit, but in an inspiring way.” No. My basic desires are not what drive me to make money or achieve status.” He said that despite having unlimited freedom, he felt unsure about how to use it. “And, to be honest, I’m not the most optimistic about life,” he admitted.
I’m rich and I don’t know what to do with my life.
Where I talk about leaving Loom, giving up $60 million, yelling like Elon, breaking up with my girlfriend, insecurities, a brief stint at DOGE, and now I’m self-studying physics in Hawaii.
– Vinay Hiremath (@vhmth) 2 January 2025
Mr. Hiremath revisits key phases of his life where he tried to create meaning. He revealed that he broke up with his girlfriend of two years due to his insecurities, describing the experience as “extremely painful” but ultimately making the right decision. He also issued an apology without naming her: “If my ex-girlfriend is reading this: Thank you for everything. I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you wanted.”
The co-founder of Loom shares how he struggled to stay at the company that acquired Loom, where he was offered a potential $60 million package as CTO. Struggling with the decision, he went back to “the Redwoods” to overcome his confusion and ultimately decided to leave, saying, “To do something. Anything. To be alive again.”
Mr. Hiremath explored other ventures, including meeting with investors and robotics experts to pursue the idea of giving computers “arms and legs,” but he soon realized that this was not his true passion. “I started to realize that I really wanted to look like Elon (Musk) and it’s incredibly disappointing,” he wrote. “It hurts to even type this.”
He then set out on a trip to the Himalayas with no prior experience, which ended with him falling ill and needing to roll down a mountain “while going out of my mind”. After recovering, friends encouraged him to reach out to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy at DOGE. He managed to get a job but soon realized that it was not suitable for him.
He wrote, “After four intense and heady weeks, I canceled my plans to go to Washington, D.C. and set out on a journey to save our government with some of the smartest people I have ever met.” “And I booked a one-way ticket to Hawaii.”
Now, at age 33, Mr. Hiremath is learning physics with the goal of starting a company that makes tangible, real-world products. He concluded by saying that he was satisfied with the idea that the new venture did not need to reach the same success as Loom.
