"I Don't Want to Climb This Ladder"... What a 20-Something Startup Executive Earning 400 Million Won Told the CEO

Wharton School Graduate and 22-Year-Old CMO
Burnout from 12-Hour Workdays
"Lost All Space for Personal Life"

A story has emerged about a young professional in his 20s who left his job at an artificial intelligence (AI) startup in New York, United States, where he was earning an annual salary of around 400 million won, in pursuit of "small freedoms and happiness."

A young man in his 20s who was earning an annual salary of around 400 million won at an AI startup in New York, USA, revealed the reason for his resignation. Instagram

On January 12 (local time), Indian media outlet The Indian Express reported that Daniel Min, a 22-year-old who was earning an annual salary of $300,000 (approximately 442.2 million won) at an AI startup in New York, decided to resign in order to achieve a better work-life balance.

Wharton School Graduate... Became Head of Marketing at 21

Min graduated from the Wharton School, the prestigious business school at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in marketing and operations management as part of the MBA program. Immediately after graduating in May last year, he joined the AI startup Cluely. At the time of joining, he was 21 years old and took on the role of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), overseeing the company’s marketing operations.

However, after much deliberation, Min recently decided to resign. In a recent video posted on his Instagram, Min stated, "My decision to resign was not an impulsive choice but a decision made after long consideration."

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Pixabay

"Stress from 12-Hour Workdays and Performance Pressure"

Min revealed that the intense work schedule of more than 12 hours a day and constant pressure to deliver results began to affect him just a few months after joining the company. He said, "At 21, I thought it was natural to work all day and to be immersed for 12 hours a day," adding, "But I gradually started to miss the small freedoms, like having dinner with friends or surprising my younger sibling on their birthday."

He also shared that the sense of duty to devote all his energy to the company as CMO became a burden. "There was hardly any space left for my personal life," he explained. He added that the psychological pressure of staying in the position was greater than any financial burden resulting from his resignation.

Eventually, Roy Lee (Korean name: Lee Jeongin), the CEO of Cluely, noticed the change in Min and was the first to suggest a conversation. Min said, "It took a lot of courage to tell CEO Lee that I had been considering resignation," and "I became emotional and shed tears as I spoke about it."

He also expressed his gratitude toward CEO Lee. Min said, "No one has ever cared as sincerely about my personal interests and situation as CEO Lee," but added, "However, realizing that this small community, this ladder I was climbing alongside people I spent 12 hours a day with, was not the path I wanted to take was a difficult process."

Min’s story has drawn significant attention online. One Instagram user commented, "This choice requires a lot of courage," expressing support for Min, while another said, "I look forward to seeing what you do next." Comments such as "Sometimes you have to let go of great rewards" also followed.

Meanwhile, Cluely is an AI startup co-founded last April by Korean Roy Lee and Neil Shanmugam, both 21 years old at the time. The company provides AI tools that help users deceive others in various situations such as exams, interviews, sales, and phone calls. Users can receive real-time answers or summarized information from AI through an invisible window in their browser, which is not visible to others, allowing for AI-assisted cheating without being detected by interviewers or exam proctors.