[moeadham]

I did this in 2010 and I now run a profitable software company with 45 employees.

Do it. There is literally no downside. If things don’t work out, you can just go back to the company you left. They will take you back!

[elcomet]

> There is literally no downside

If you have suffient savings.. Which is definitely not the case for most people

[xwdv]

Literally no downside?

I can think of a few: there’s a good chance it doesn’t work out and you find yourself running an unprofitable business working harder to make much less than your old software engineering job.

[otachack]

OP probably has in mind that you can always go back to your previous employer, or find a job in the hot market.

I worry people keep thinking it will always be hot. I personally have been listening to podcasts of veteran people in the tech world and many lived through the dotcom crash where the "hot market" went all of a sudden cold.

Hot or not, they did live through it and made remarkable things along the way. My advice, make sure you have runway to live off your savings for the duration you initially want and save for 2-3x that. Life is too short to be grinding until retirement, though I imagine paths where if you have a high salary you may hit retirement earlier than other generations.

[zikduruqe]

> There is literally no downside.

Lack of medical benefits for a disabled family member. Lack of house. Lack of food. Lack of electricity.

Nope, can't see any downside.