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This Bengaluru founder ignored his boss’s warning, left Rs 1 lakh job at Yahoo for unpaid Italy internship; here’s what happened
Arjun Jain, founder of Fast Code AI, shared that despite the good pay and perks at Yahoo!, he felt restricted.
The founder explained that the decision, once dismissed as foolish, eventually led him to some remarkable opportunities (Representational image/Pexels)
A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur recently shared that he left his well-paid job at Yahoo! and that the decision turned out to be a breakthrough in his career. Arjun Jain, founder of Fast Code AI, revealed that his manager did not support his move and even called it “stupid”. However, he said, the risk was worth it as it opened doors to opportunities alongside some of the biggest names in technology.
Reflecting on August 2007 at Yahoo! Bengaluru, Jain wrote, “The day I chose curiosity over comfort. August 2007. Yahoo! Bangalore. I’m staring at my resignation draft. ₹1 lakh per month. Stock options. The golden handcuffs every middle-class kid dreams of.”
He shared that despite the good pay and perks at Yahoo!, he felt restricted. He then decided to resign and move to Italy for an internship. “Are you stupid? You’re leaving Yahoo! for… Italy? Do you know how many people would kill for your job?” Jain quoted his manager.
Further, Jain shared that the initial months were filled with financial struggles. “Six months later, I’m broke in Florence. Can’t get a job – wrong passport. The internship ends. I extend it because… what else? Go back to content pushes?”
However, Jain did not give up and continued to pursue his work in technology. Describing those early years, he wrote, “It’s not Instagram-pretty. It’s coding until 3 AM in a tiny Italian apartment, building computer vision models while others are at aperitivo. It’s visa anxiety. It’s everyone thinking you’ve lost your mind while you’re grinding harder than ever – just on something that matters.”
Jain explained that the decision, once dismissed as foolish, eventually led him to some remarkable opportunities. “The choice that my boss called stupid led to Saarland Graduate School (they had a program with stipend + PhD without Masters) → Max Planck Institute → Working with Chris Bregler → Yann LeCun becoming my office neighbor at NYU → Being there when deep learning exploded → Papers, patents, Apple, teaching at IIT, IISc.”
“From content pushes to publishing with the godfather of AI. Not because I was smarter. Because I was curious,” he wrote.
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In his post, Jain encouraged professionals to follow their aspirations, even if they have to step away from stability and comfort.
See the post here:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗜 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁
August 2007. Yahoo! Bangalore. I’m staring at my resignation draft. ₹1 lakh per month. Stock options. The golden handcuffs every middle-class kid dreams of.But I’m suffocating.
Another content push.… pic.twitter.com/4GW6i9w3FS
— Arjun Jain | Fast Code AI (@Arjunjain) March 16, 2026
The post has since gone viral, prompting a wave of reactions. “this so much resonates with book that I am reading “running down a dream -how to thrive in a career you actually love” by bill gurley. the first point he mentions is ” chase your curiosity”,” a user wrote. “Kudos to you. Hats off for having the courage to go through with the journey,” another user commented.
“It’s the journey that matters fornthe curious. Well done,” a third user chimed in.
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