Meet man who used to walk to work, eat free meals, left high-paying corporate job at 29 due to...

Success stories of people who start from scratch and go on to create a company or business of their own are often inspiring. One such person is Daniel George, an alumnus of IIT Bombay who contemplated early retirement at just 24 years of age.

Daniel George earned a bachelor's degree in engineering physics from IIT-B and began his career at Google in 2018 in the US. He soon realised that 50% of his income was spent on taxes.

Despite earning $265,000 annually, George kept his expenses to under 10% of his earnings. Opting to walk or bike to work, sharing an apartment to cut down on rent, and eating the complimentary meals at Google, he stayed away from spending on extravagances such as luxury cars or homes. Instead, he directed the majority of his earnings towards investments, allowing his money to grow and compound over time.

George annually invested more than $75,000 into tax-advantaged accounts, and by 2020, he had amassed enough wealth to retire. However, he chose to remain in the US and continue expanding his wealth after meeting his future wife, who was also an AI scientist at Google.

In 2020, George was hired by JPMorgan to lead applied AI projects. Despite the increased income and net worth, he remained committed to a modest lifestyle. At 27, George reached his first million dollars in savings.

In August 2023, George left JP Morgan to co-found a startup, ThirdEar AI when he was just 29. 

"Now that I don't need to worry about earning a salary, I can afford to take the risk of starting my own company," he remarked, further noting, "When my wife and I eventually decide to settle down and potentially have children, I'm confident that our investments will generate enough passive income to cover our family expenses. Investing early means I won't need to worry later on."