Jason Shen quit Meta in 2023, forgoing $1.68 million in unvested stock. His coaching startup Refactor Labs now pulls $369K a year. He works less and has more time for his daughter.
Alpha Score of 53 reflects moderate overall profile with poor momentum, weak value, strong quality, moderate sentiment.
Jason Shen walked away from a $250,000-a-year job at Meta in 2023. He had spent nearly three years as a product leader there, vesting 230 restricted stock units per quarter. The unvested shares alone, at current prices, would be worth about $1.68 million. He left anyway.
Shen founded Refactor Labs, an executive coaching and cofounder-conflict practice based in Brooklyn. In the last 12 months, the business generated $369,000 in revenue. That figure includes expenses – credit card processing fees, marketing, software, coworking space, and health insurance – but the tradeoff is a workweek that feels far less frantic than his time in Big Tech.
"I couldn't see myself doing this for another 20 years," Shen said. His cash compensation at Meta, salary plus bonus, ran about $250,000.
Before Meta, Shen had been a product manager at Etsy, then founded Headlight, a tech hiring platform, with a former Etsy teammate. In 2019 the startup pivoted into voice AI for gaming under the name Midgame. Midgame was acquired by Facebook in July 2020, pulling Shen into the social network's product organization. He stayed through multiple managers, reorganizations, and layoff rounds.
Shen had started coaching founders on the side while still at Meta. He set aside roughly $150,000 – mostly by selling off his personal portfolio – to seed the business after quitting. "I realized I had to take my shot because there was no way I could launch a business while caring for a newborn," he said. If the coaching practice didn't work within a year, his backup plan was returning to a product management role.
Most of his clients pay monthly retainers; those navigating cofounder disputes typically buy three-month packages. The work is Zoom calls, reading people, and helping founders see past their own blockers. Shen said he used to have an executive assistant but now relies on AI tools to manage client work.
"I love seeing my clients find conviction in themselves, grow their businesses, and improve their relationship with their cofounders," he said. "That feels like a tangible impact to me."
He is writing a book called "Deep Ambition" aimed at recovering overachievers. He is also training for a personal best in the Murph challenge, a CrossFit-style workout. Weekdays end at 5 p.m. when he takes his daughter to the playground. Dinner is at 6. Bath, milk, and bedtime follow by 7:30. His wife's creative career was a factor in the timing of the leap.
"Do I wish I had a few extra million bucks in my bank account? Sure, but it doesn't work like that," Shen said. "I would have had to grind for that money for years. My workweek is now so much less frantic and stressful."
Shen said his goal is to surpass his Big Tech total compensation by 2028. He also hopes to be a father of two by then. For experienced tech workers watching the layoff cycle, he said coaching or consulting may be more satisfying than they expect. "It takes courage and nontrivial resources to get off the ground," he said, "but in the end, it can be so much more fulfilling."
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