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this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
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I think I'm basically done after my current rig dies. I have no interest in being a peasant in some techno feudalist dystopia. Instead, I've been dedicating more time to reading books, writing, traveling, some retro gaming, and working around the house.
It's enough for me.
These days, as a tech worker, I immediately log out at the end of my workday and shut everything down. I have no further interest. It's not fun anymore. Frankly, I don't think I can last until retirement in this space even if my job isn't automated. I could retire today if I wanted to. But most people aren't in that situation and I have no idea what I would do if I didn't have the financial autonomy that I enjoy. And I got here--in part--by building parts of the platforms that harm us (social media). So that feels great.
We live in a dystopia. Everything fucking sucks.
Wanna be a goat farmer with me (https://www.goatops.com/) ? I've been in IT for 20 years or so and when I first saw that goat list maybe 10-15 years ago it gave me a chuckle, then over the years it made more sense and became a goal. Not necessarily goats, but something entirely separate from IT; for now I'm stuck trying to earn a bit of a retirement, but my eye is on the door.
There is still some good IT stuff to be done though. I have a homelab that I use to avoid Google where I can (degoog/nextcloud/immich/etc), and keep my data indoors as much as possible...
Farming is pretty expensive labor intensive and not profitable. But besides all that it’s very fulfilling
Exactly why I'd like to shift my life. I'm not looking for profits, just time away from my desk lol.
Become a sheep farmer instead so you can put solar panels on your land
You may be playing into their hands...
Your rig is how you communicate with the world - via unbreakable encryption if you choose to. It's your source of information from sources of your choice more than theirs. It's a route to be heard by your friends beyond your local neighborhood.
Yeah, big platform social media is a cess pit. Your rig is your portal to be a force against that tide. No, one pebble on the beach won't stop it, but a billion pebbles?
I hear what you're saying. But as of right now, I have no interest in any of it. The minute I start my workday, I'm already looking forward to turning everything off so I can go do something else. This whole digital information economy is repulsive to me.
I get it... I've been fortunate to be in a sort of "feel good" tech industry (medical devices) - and my current post is pretty low stress, light management touch which is really nice. People getting wound up about shipping on a particular day regardless of whether the product is ready or not and all that unregulated software jazz can be a real downer.
After decades of digital life, I guess it's back to the real world. They aren't going to like what that shift of focus, time and energy results in.
You are part of the problem. You chose to profit by building their tools. Now they enslave you.
You still have valuable experience that this world needs. You could choose to work on open source software, and in building an ecosystem outside of the technofascism you did mercenary work for.
Signed, an open source developer (that also gets paid a pretty penny and is still happy with their day to day work, surrounded by like-minded peers).
This kind of attitude towards people just trying to get by is a pretty shitty one. You aren’t above anybody by being an OSS dev.
OP, by their own words, is set up for life. They could retire now if they wanted to.
I am not, but at least I am not a class traitor.
Since uni decades ago, people have had contempt for devs joining the ranks of Facebook and Google. Nowadays is the grifters that work in AI startups. And previously was the grift of cryptocoins. None of them were nicely seen in any of my circles, OSS, uni folks, conferences. I have old uni friends that ended up working for Microsoft via acquisition, and they ended up depressed and with serious health problems from the stress.
You take ownership of something, and you break it? You own the pieces. Adult accountability, which seems to be missing in the USA.
If the OP is feeling empty and sad, by their own words, then, what better approach than to work on something that undos the damage he, by their own words, has inflicted upon the world
I mean, for the love of god. Let's read the article of the thread we are..
You will get nowhere blaming individuals for systemic problems and also you're alienating your potential allies like a true leftist so maybe chill on the class traitor stuff
He said it was “in part” and you are acting like my guy personally spun up EC2 instances that kill people or something. In his post he even recognizes the problem but here you are just ramming it down everyone’s throats that it’s really the OSS devs saving the world out here.
I’ve been in the space for almost a decade at this point and by god OSS devs have to be the weirdest people I’ve ever met. Always some sort of superiority complex or something.
No, it's the right attitude, but the language could be less harsh...like asking him if he still building their tools and a part of the problem instead of just declaring it. People need to hear it when they are are helping enshitification, it just needs to be done from a place of concern or pity and not from a pkace of anger or hostility.
OOP even said that he knows he “in part” was part of the problem. It seems he’s already owned up to his mistake I'm just really not sure what more the poster above wants out of the convo.
I realize that I am part of the problem. Unfortunately, I am not motivated to build anything in the tech sector atm. There is no sense of duty or redemption that could override the dread I feel for working in tech. Hopefully that fades with time. But for now, I think any future contributions that I make to society will be in other domains such as politics or social services.
I still find joy in it. I work in tech support but I also am setting up my first homelab with ubiquiti gear and I'm having a lot of fun. Some parts are cobbled together from bits I can get free or cheap and those are the most fun. I don't have a lot of money and that keeps it interesting.
I will carry the torch and have enough fun for the lot of us. I hope you have just as much fun doing what you're doing.
Same boat here, minus the "still in tech" that I left over 10 yrs ago. Picked up my last pc end of last year and packed up my previous rig for future use. With the old tech around my apt: Laptops, old pc's, and raspberry pi's, I should be able to last til I die. I will never use cloud gaming, only use for that I see is linux users that want to play certain "competitive" games, next phone will most likely be dumb as well. I started my journey on a Commodore Vic 20, never thought this would manifest
How do you get out?
I got burnt out and took a job that is not tech.
It used to be fun to trouble shoot issues, help people understand, on their terms, what the pc was doing and why. Then it got old cause everything started turning to crap, starting with vista (spent a week regressing ~30 laptops from vista to XP cause I didn't want the headache of dealing with that brand new operating system). I used to build and wire, by hand, networks. I could whip out a cable in about 2 mins, from cut to crimp, and then set the Dell and/or Cisco routers/switches. I just couldn't keep doing it and keep my sanity
Makes sense, I feel the same unfortunately. What are you doing now to keep your sanity?
Brainless job, for me anyway, hehe. Security supervisor, just directing people to where they need to go, making sure the company doesn't try to take advantage of my guards. Also just play vr/stream and play other pc and retro games and hope no issues come up
"I enjoy great comfort and privilege."
"I have relevant expertise and understand how these systems work"
"Remember, I have money and I'm gonna be fine whatever happens to everyone else"
"I'm too fucking cowardly to use my knowhow to fight back because that might jeopardize my relative comfort."
Go fuck yourself, really.
yup.. once my current rigs fail, I'm not replacing them. I'm just abandoning it and they can do whatever.
I've checked out. I have zero subscriptions, own all my software, could afford to replace if I need to but... why... it's a literal cesspool of corporate trash and I want nothing to do with it.
same with the cellphone.. when it dies, I honestly don't think I care to even replace it. might get hosted VoIP somewhere and have a landline in the house.. beyond that, whatever .. not my issue and if places like the Bank etc try to force it well.. tough. I'll go into the branch like it's 1995 and update my paper passbook and withdraw cash for the week
Tried that lately? Hours are shrinking, lines are growing.
I've been to my bank a few times, other then employees I'm the only one there minus the odd old lady. it's a ghost town. hours suck but whatever
Lucky, small town I would guess? We're in a 1.4M population metro area, so they reduce the number of branch offices to the minimum they can while still getting the "new customer uptake" that goes with a physical branch location. Apparently that's the real purpose of physical bank locations these days, to compete for customer sign-ups.
May you be cursed every time you brag publicly about your own wealth
I wasn't bragging. I was stating reality and how my situation would be a lot more dire without financial autonomy. I feel for those who are not so fortunate and I don't think it's acceptable that we're basically hollowing out the middle class.
Yes, there are many poor people now who were not poor before, and they will cast their jealous gaze upon you if you mention that you are more fortunate than they are. This is something I have experience with, you must give money whenever you mention your own wealth.
But at least you got your mercenary payout no?
If you're not ready to quit your job, at least if you get caught in a round of layoffs you'll have enough savings to not need to bother looking for a new job.
I have a work laptop, and haven't bought a computer for personal use in 10 years.
It's not fun for me either, also in IT. My joy comes from watching my kid play, we just finished split Fiction and reanimal, now starting the last of us.
The most I get is jumping into random L4D2 pub games and rushing the maps while blasting music.