I am rich and I have no idea what to do’: Vinay Hiremath after selling startup for $975 million

Vinay Hiremath, an Indian-origin entrepreneur and co-founder of video messaging startup Loom, recently got candid about his struggles after he sold the company to Atlassian for $975 million. Even when he was worth millions, he said he felt lost and was naked." Vinay Hiremath wrote an honest blog post titled "I am rich, and I have no idea what to do with my life," where he talked about his journey as someone who has faced post-success problems.

Hiremath said that his challenge after selling his startup was different; he no longer needed to work to survive comfortably. But this freedom also left him feeling disillusioned and lack of direction. He called his life "a haze" and said he was struggling to find meaning in it. He said, "I don't have the same desires driving me anymore," even if he had "infinite freedom."

It was not merely a case of professional hurdles. Hiremath also spoke about personal struggles, including a painful breakup with his girlfriend. They had been together for two years before their story ended because of his insecurity. It was "incredibly painful," said Vinay Hiremath, but the right choice. He apologized to his ex-girlfriend in the note and thanked her for their time together.

From a professional standpoint, Hiremath did not wish to remain with Loom after its acquisition, even with a purported $60 million CTO compensation package on the table. Leaving that role because he sought fresh inspiration. At first, it seemed like a promising area to explore robotics until he met with investors and experts, who brought him back to reality. Some might say I simply wanted to be Elon, well, Hiremath wryly argued. It started to hit me that I just wanted to pretend to be Elon, and in a 2023 date and age, that is so annoying.

But the Loom founder was trying to find himself, so he decided to climb the Himalayas without any experience, which resulted in him getting sick and needing to be rescued.

Vinay Hiremath is now trying to learn physics and wants to build a company that builds tangible products. This isn't necessarily something that will be as successful as Loom, but he's fine with it. For the moment, the tale highlights the ambiguity of life after enormous achievements.