《Silicon Valley Easy Talk》Kenji announces that he’s quit his job from Phantom wallet—at least take a break for 5-10 years; once the paycheck hits, he no longer feels anything.

"Silicon Valley Casual Talk" founder Kenji, with an annual salary of up to $650k in Phantom's crypto wallet and a base salary of $270k, announced his decision to resign early without notice. He candidly admitted that seeing his salary credited has become emotionless; with two children, he can no longer let the most valuable time be tied up by the company, "Money can be earned again, but time won't."

(Background summary: One in four white-collar workers faces mid-career bottlenecks: AI accelerates rewriting career rules)

(Additional background: xAI engineer interviewed about "no one in the company says no to me," then he was fired by Musk)

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• The most valuable hours of the day shouldn't all be given to the company
• The word "resign without notice" itself is problematic
• What to do next is still uncertain

Kenji, a software engineer from Taiwan, has worked at Square, Brex, Cruise, and finally settled at the crypto wallet startup Phantom. His total annual income is $650k, including a base salary of $270k, over $50k in year-end bonuses, and stock options worth $330k. Yet, in front of the envy-inducing numbers, he made a choice that puzzled his colleagues: to resign early without notice.

He openly shared on his YouTube channel "Silicon Valley Casual Talk" that when he saw his salary credited, he felt no emotional fluctuation. "Some people get excited when their salary is credited—that's fine if they want to keep working. I saw the paycheck and felt nothing; it means I should take a different path."

Kenji previously worked in the U.S. for 10 years, accumulating assets through passive investment and riding the tech stock bull market, coupled with restrained consumption habits, avoiding luxury goods. The time to resign came earlier than expected, before his assets were fully stabilized.

The most valuable hours of the day shouldn't all be given to the company

The second reason for resigning without notice is even more important than salary issues. Because Kenji has two children, he said that being tied to the most valuable hours of the day by the company has become increasingly unacceptable to him.

He had already gradually shortened his working hours before resigning, averaging 5 to 6 hours a day, sometimes only 3 hours when in good condition, yet his performance evaluations remained normal. He also said, "I made this decision too late."

Efficient workers often deliver the same output in less time, but companies usually prioritize online hours over results. This gap is a hidden reason many engineers feel like quitting.

The word "resign without notice" itself is problematic

Kenji mentioned an observation from a friend in the video, which he found very reasonable: "Resigning without notice exists because society presumes you must have a job."

He hopes that in the next 5 to 10 years, taking a break after quitting will be seen as normal by those around him, without the need to immediately prepare the next plan.

"After resigning without notice, what you should do is rest well, give your mind some space. You don't necessarily have to busy yourself blindly; sometimes chilling out a bit will allow many answers to appear on their own."

In the first week after resigning without notice, his body responded autonomously—he still wanted to sit in front of the computer for meetings at 9 a.m. Even psychologically prepared people need time to解除 the reactive response to work.

What to do next is still uncertain

Kenji said he doesn't think he'll look for another company to draw a salary in the future. His plans include continuing his YouTube channel, optimizing production processes with AI tools, and possibly creating his own products or services. He also started a "Resignation Club" membership on his channel, currently with 11 members.

Originally, he set the goal of "resigning after 100k subscribers," but he only has 40k now, yet he still resigned early.

His reason is straightforward: "Don't let your means become your goal. Earning money was supposed to improve your life, but you turned earning money from a means into a goal."

This sentence is excellent—whether for me or for you in front of the screen, a message to everyone striving in the workplace.