- Surround yourself with friends who also aren’t playing the game.

- Get really clear about what your actual financial goals are, not what they’d need to be in order to maintain status among game-players.

- Get compensated in ways other than money. For me, working four days a week instead of five, and working remote from anywhere, is worth a whole lot of money. And working at a smaller company is a hell of a lot more fun if you like being part of product decisions.

- If you can, find ways to do things that your ladder-climbing friends can’t do. Spend a month in Europe without taking any holiday. Spend the whole winter in Thailand. Use that extra mental energy from that day off to do something amazing.

I left FAANG about 10 years ago and took a massive pay cut. I’d do it again.