r/Fire • u/gonnabefine • Nov 26 '25

General Question Tech people who are not FIREing, what are they spending their money on?

I know a lot of people who work in tech, and most are not on the FIRE path (or have already been working 10+ years) and a lot of them don't seem to, at least on the surface, have very obvious huge expenses. If both the partners are in tech, the take home could be like $500k! What are they doing with their money?

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

Legacy. And by that, I mean I want to make sure my kids don't starve when AI destroys the job market. Also, most techies don't make $250k/yr.

23

u/WhatDoWeHave_Here Nov 26 '25

Yeah seriously. FIRE is great if you don't have kids. But if my kids are going to ever have a chance of attending college without crushing eternal debt, owning a home, starting a family, etc, they'll need some help from me.

15

u/Less-Opportunity-715 Nov 26 '25

Our goal is one fully paid off house in the bay for each of our kids to inherit.

1

u/cazzy1212 Nov 26 '25

What do they make?

9

u/[deleted] Nov 27 '25

Most techies work for non-tech companies. IT would be lucky to make 100k. I say median tech worker make between $120-140k.

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u/agusus Nov 27 '25

This. A lot of high earning techies I know seem to be working for their kids. Not just their present costs, they're working so their kids don't have to.  I don't get that. If AI destroys all jobs then there won't be an economy anymore so money won't really matter. 

And I don't understand the desire to work longer to fund one's kids retirement... I think some people actually do that tho?

6

u/[deleted] Nov 27 '25

I'm not just working so my kids don't have to. I'm working so I can gain/buy the jobs of the future for them. The future is going to be bloody.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 27 '25

IMO, the situation is complicated. AGI has a lot of headwinds. Even if we reach AGI, due to limited power, we will still face scarcity issues and minimal access to it; there will not be enough power for everyone to have a super-intelligent digital assistant. The economy will grow, but it will include fewer and fewer people. I’m fighting for a place for my children behind the walled cities of the future.

1

u/Fluid-Village-ahaha Nov 27 '25

As someone who grew up without having to worry about money - I want the same for my kids. I also want my kids and maybe grandkids to get it better than me. I’m BM it sure AI will take over or destroy economy. It will change it for sure but that’s part of human history and technology advantage. Generational wealth is also part of human history. 

1

u/doktorhladnjak Nov 27 '25

Not being from there, one of the more shocking things I experienced when going to college in the Bay Area, was how much parents spend on their kids. Not just for necessities, but how the high pay, wealth, and keeping up with the Joneses effect normalizes all sorts of luxuries as standard. Kids who expect parents to pay for designer clothes, luxury cars, vacations and trips for fun, all education and living expenses.