Life After Big Tech

What happens when you finally achieve financial independence, walk away from a successful career in Big Tech, and have the freedom to do whatever you want? Is it everything you imagined it would be?

In this episode of the Data Engineering Central Podcast, I’m joined once again by Kevin Martin, who spent nearly 13 years working at Apple before deciding he’d had enough of the corporate grind. When we last spoke, Kevin had just left Apple and was preparing to spend much of 2026 backpacking some of America’s most beautiful wilderness.

Thanks for reading Data Engineering Central! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Well, Kevin is back, and he’s got some stories to tell.

Since our last conversation, Kevin has completed hundreds of miles of backpacking, including the Benton MacKaye Trail and the legendary John Muir Trail. Along the way, he spent a terrifying night with multiple black bears circling his tent in the Smoky Mountains, experienced the incredible beauty of the Sierra Nevada, and learned some unexpected lessons about himself.

One of the most interesting things Kevin discovered was that leaving the corporate world doesn’t necessarily mean leaving behind the mindset that made you successful there. After years of working in a high-performance environment at Apple, he found himself approaching retirement and backpacking with the same intensity, planning, and expectations that he’d brought to his career.

* We dig into that realization and what it means to actually enjoy the financial freedom you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Of course, we also wander into plenty of other topics, including the changing landscape of Big Tech, AI-driven layoffs, whether anyone’s job is really safe anymore, and the importance of building financial independence in an increasingly uncertain world.

* We talk about lifestyle inflation, the FIRE movement, the psychology of money, and why doing difficult things in the outdoors can completely change your perspective on everyday problems.

Perhaps my favorite part of the conversation is our discussion about happiness and the tendency to constantly chase the next big milestone. Whether it’s a promotion, a financial goal, retirement, or climbing a mountain, there’s always something else waiting on the horizon.

At what point do we stop chasing the next thing and actually enjoy the life we’ve built?

It’s a fun, thoughtful conversation that goes well beyond technology and money. If you work in tech, dream about financial independence, love the outdoors, or simply find yourself wondering what life might look like outside the traditional career path, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Grab a cup of coffee and join us!

Thanks for reading Data Engineering Central! This post is public so feel free to share it.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dataengineeringcentral.substack.com/subscribe