“‘I’m Rich and Clueless About What to Do’: Vinay Hiremath Reflects After $975 Million Startup Exit|
Recently, the co-founder of Loom revealed a deeply personal reflection about struggling with purpose and identity after selling the startup to Atlassian for a whopping $975 million in 2023. In an unrestrained blog post headlined “I am rich and I have no idea what to do with my life,” the Indian-origin entrepreneur put his emotional and mental turmoil to the forefront for the world, despite financial liberation.
Hiremath confessed that life after acquisition has felt rudderless. “After selling my company, I find myself in the totally un-relatable position of never having to work again. Everything feels like a side quest, but not in an inspiring way, he wrote. While he now has unlimited freedom, he admitted he’s unsure how to channel it and expressed a lack of optimism about the future.
Reflecting on personal relationships, Hiremath opened up on ending a two-year relationship with his girlfriend and called the breakup \”extremely painful”. He even extended an apology to her and said, “If my ex is reading this, thank you for everything. I am sorry I couldn’t be what you needed me to be.”
Professionally, Hiremath revealed that he struggled with his decision to leave Loom post-acquisition, especially when walking away meant forfeiting a potential $60 million payout as CTO. To clear his mind, he retreated into the redwoods, hoping to find clarity. His search for purpose then led him to meet robotics experts and investors with the ambition of giving computers “arms and legs,” but he soon realized his motivations were misplaced. “It started to dawn on me that what I actually wanted was to look like Elon, and that is incredibly cringe,” he admitted.
In a desperate effort to free himself from the grip of restlessness, Hiremath, at the age of 33, went off to climb Himalayas, his first-ever mountaineering adventure. The trip abruptly ended with sickness forcing him to rappel off the mountain. He eventually managed to get some rest, inquired with moguls such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, and took up a gig at DOGE. After a month of constant intensity, however, he reconsidered the step.
- “After 4 intense and intoxicating weeks, I cancelled plans to move to Washington, D.C. and set out on an adventure to save our government with some of the smartest people I’ve ever met,” he wrote. He chose instead to buy a one-way ticket to Hawaii in search of a new beginning.
Currently, Hiremath is immersing himself in learning physics and envisions building a company focused on manufacturing tangible, real-world products. He acknowledged that even if his next venture doesn’t match Loom’s towering success, he would still find peace in the journey.
