I don't know any. Maybe I just have a better social circle than most. Or maybe this is a fake number. There are not as many people preordering this clearly fake device, instead this is just another way to launder money.
Outsourcing of software dev to India and support to Latin America. Paying pennies and charging high fees. They get contracts to all sorts of big companies like telecoms and manufacturers
Also unemployed for the last 3 years after a layoff. Partially on purpose because I felt I needed a pause to recharge but I kept extending because money was not a problem due to stonks going up.
I learned react, go. Played videogames and had a child. Things are going well.
Part of me is afraid that too much time off the market will make me not fit for the workforce anymore but tbh I feel like my mental health really needed this.
Now I'm faced with a dilemma. Go back to my home country where I probably could retire now at 40 or stay here and try to get back to work. Trump administration has been making my decision easier by the day.
I was in a similar situation, but even though I have an engineering background I was in GTech.
I thought I was doing meaningful work at first. But after 7 years of the grinding it took its toll, I burned out and I left in September.
I'm not sure our situation is comparable, but I'll share some of my experience.
I was very well paid and that kept me on the job longer than it was healthy for me. Still I can't tell you if I made the right decision or not. My job was not stressful at all and not demanding, but I had some periods that I slacked too much and that took a toll on my perf. A bad perf made internal movements harder.
I wish I could have stayed longer for the money, I wish I had better scores that internal movement was possible. In the end I just got up one day and quit, and I don't regret.
I'm taking my time now to rest, travel and work on some side projects before restarting my career. I lived a pretty scrappy life in the bay that I can now not worry too much about money for some time.
I don't share the Google hate so common in this forum, I think it's a wonderful company to work for. A lot of opportunities, great people and comp. I blame only myself for my mental health deteriorating and affecting the quality and balance of my work. I'll work on getting that in order before finding a new job, and if I get back to Google I'll feel lucky.
This was more a rambling than anything. But to summarize my advice would be to prioritize your mental health, that's a lot more important than you realize. If you feel like the grinding is affecting you seek help or quit and find something else more fulfilling. If you feel you are ok maybe try an internal transfer and stay longer, add a side project if you need a challenge. If you do decide to quit give yourself a quarter to rest at least.
And lastly you're probably better than you think you are, impostor syndrome is real and affects everyone.