# Big Tech's Money Paradox DevFeed: [Big Tech's Money Paradox]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Evan King Published: 2024-12-09T22:10:13Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Evan King]() Topics: [saving](), [Software]() Tags: [money](), [saving](), [tech]() ## AI overview An opinion essay argues that highly paid Big Tech engineers can become excessively focused on saving and optimizing investments, at the expense of happiness and relationships. Drawing on personal observations and a cited view from Arthur Brooks, it recommends balancing financial security with spending on shared experiences. ## Source excerpt Big Tech engineers making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year are the world's most anxious penny pinchers. I saw it every weekend while living in Seattle: software engineers making half a million dollars arguing over dinner bills down to the cent, cramming into someone's car to save $5 on an Uber, and pre-gaming at home to avoid $15 cocktails. All while making more money than we knew what to do with. It took moving to LA to realize just how weird this behavior is. Here, I've made friends outside the tech bubble -- people making significantly less than my Seattle circle, yet somehow living much richer lives. They grab the check without hesitation. Spring for concert tickets on a whim. Generally seem to enjoy their money rather than hoarding it like dragons guarding their gold. The contrast was jarring. In Seattle, we'd spend hours fine-tuning our investment strategies and debating the optimal savings rate. Every dollar spent was a dollar that could be invested, and we could calculate exactly how much we expected that dollar would be worth in 30 years. The engineer's mindset applied to lifestyle choices -- and it was making us miserable. I get it. We're analytical by nature. Tech attracts people who love watching numbers go up and to the right. But we're optimizing for the wrong variable. The proof is right there on Blind. Some of the unhappiest posts come from people making $1M/y who are stressed about not saving enough. They've solved the money problem but lost sight of the happiness equation. Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor who studies the science of happiness, was asked a simple question: does money buy happiness? His answer was surprising. "Yes," he said. But it came with a crucial caveat: "yes, if that money is spent on experiences with the people you love." On the other hand, he found those hoarding money, regardless of how wealthy they were, were almost always the least happy. Here's what I've learned since leaving the tech bubble: investing in experience