I left my $250,000 Meta job to coach startup founders. I work fewer hours, have less stress, and still make a good living.

Jason Shen. Courtesy of Jason Shen Jason Shen left Meta in 2023 and began building his executive-coaching business, Refactor Labs. After roles at Etsy and Meta, Shen began coaching startup founders full-time in 2024. He now works fewer hours and prioritizes family, fitness, and writing a book. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jason Shen , the 40-year-old founder of Refactor Labs based in Brooklyn. It has been edited for length and clarity. I'm the founder and CEO of Refactor Labs, an executive coach, and a cofounder conflict expert. I spent two years at Etsy as a product manager, working on the seller-facing mobile app. After being laid off in a round of mass layoffs, I did contract product work for an early-stage B2B SaaS startup and completed the TED Residency, an ideas incubator, where I gave a TED Talk on the future of hiring.