Resigned to a new way of life

After six years of grueling schedules and long shifts, a former tech engineer is finally enjoying an early finish.

Financial freedom and early retirement may be a dream for most people, but Guo Yu, a former information technology engineer, achieved both at the age of 28.

His resignation letter, posted in February on microblogging platform Sina Weibo, has been shared widely online and made FIRE－an acronym that stands for financial independence, retire early－a new trend in personal finance.

The basic principle is to save enough money so you can quit your job early. Although the movement is new in China, it has gained followers around the world.

Guo's story may represent a unique voice in that community, but sheds some light on its concept.

In his letter, Guo writes that, after six years, he will quit his job at Beijing-based technology company ByteDance and explore new possibilities in life, such as "deciding to retire (from the internet industry) at 28 years old and live in Japan".

Guo has been a trending topic on Zhihu, a Chinese equivalent of Quora. The search phrase "how to look at Guo's resignation" has been viewed more than 10 million times. Some Zhihu users questioned Guo's experience, while some were more concerned with how much he earned from ByteDance.

"I am the lucky one who has been granted a second chance to choose a different life," says Tokyo-based Guo, who is still a bit confused about his sudden fame on social media.