Indian techie who grew up below poverty line set to retire at 34 to travel full-time: 'Be your own Santa'

He claimed to have worked at Nvidia for a decade, during which time he accumulated company stock.

A Reddit user who identified himself as a former Nvidia engineer has drawn attention online after sharing what he described as a “personal flex”: retiring at the age of 34 and setting out to travel across the world full-time.

In a detailed post, the individual said he was raised in severe financial hardship in a small village in India, where his family struggled to meet basic needs. He stated that his early life was marked by instability and limited resources, before his entry into the semiconductor industry changed his circumstances.

“From BPL background to retiring at 34. Traveling across the world now with a goal to explore all 195 countries (32 done),” the Reddit user wrote.

He said his schooling up to Class 12 was completed at a government school, followed by an engineering degree from what he described as a Tier-3 government college. According to his post, he focused heavily on academics, graduating as a gold medallist, which helped him secure a role at Nvidia.

From BPL backgrond to retiring at 34. Traveling across the world now with a goal to explore all 195 countries (32 done).. byu/GEM_Gen_Eng_Male inIndian_flex

Sharing details about his family’s financial situation, the user wrote: “Dad worked at STD PCO of uncle for meagre Rs 1500 per month for good 7 to 8 (early 2000s) years before getting Rs 4000 job in other shop.”

He claimed to have worked at Nvidia for a decade, during which time he accumulated company stock. “Worked there [Nvidia] for 10 years.. Left it in 2022 after accumulating just enough stocks even though it was doing great,” he wrote.

After leaving Nvidia, the Reddit user said he joined two additional semiconductor companies to broaden his professional experience. However, he later chose to walk away from the corporate sector entirely. “Joined two more Semiconductor companies for additional experience, left my 1Cr+ job at another top Semiconductor after realizing things can't get better than this,” the post said.

He also stated that he and his spouse are now travelling extensively as a dual-income-no-kids (DINK) couple, largely funded through reward points. “Accumulated more than million hotel/flight miles with top credit cards and now traveling for no cost across the world as a DINK couple,” he wrote.

Reflecting on his background, he added: “Given the horrible childhood and poverty, this feels like a personal win for sure! Be your own Santa!”

The post prompted mixed reactions from other Reddit users, with some praising the achievement while others urged caution in drawing broader conclusions.

One user commented, “Congratulations on the achievement, but this seems more like the NVIDIA gravy train that helped early financial gains. Good for you. For others, keep grinding. Such cases are very rare.”

Another wrote, “Congratulations. Not many get to retire at 34. I wish for something similar, thanks for the inspiration.”

A third user said, “Be your own Santa. The best line I ever read,” while another added, “Amazing journey, bro! Kudos to you and your family’s resilience!”

Disclaimer: This is user-generated content on Reddit and could not be independently verified by Moneycontrol.com.