Jamal Robinson
Credit: LinkedIn/Jamal Robinson
After working for tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Intel and IBM, Jamal Robinson (40) has gathered a wealth of over Rs 30 crore and retired at a very young age.
Robinson who now lives in Dubai had started his tech professional journey by working for a minimum wage job and has now achieved a commendable feat by saving about 90 per cent of his salary for years.
Robinson in an interview to CNBC Make It said, "I was working more than 60 hours a week at a job I no longer enjoyed. Still, I kept going and eventually reached a $3 million net worth — enough for me to quit my job and retire early at 34."
Robinson announced his retirement in a social media post which read, "After 3 years at #Microsoft covering #GenAI, I’m happy to finally share that I’ll be starting a new position as Senior Executive Director of Retirement at NoCompany AtAll as I'm really retiring and not starting a new role!"
According to a report by the Economic Times, Robinson grew up in a poor household and started working from the age of 14. He studied computer engineering at the Tennessee Tech University and from the age of 17, he knew that he wanted to retire early.
Working his way up in the tech industry, Robinson earned a hefty salary but still chose to stay committed to saving.
According to ET, Robinson said, "I went from saving 30 per cent to 50 per cent to 80 per cent and up to nearly 90 per cent."
Talking about his decision of saving and investments, he said, "That would excite me more, because I knew that that accelerated my goal to ultimately retire."
At 39, Robinson decided in 2024 to retire from his job which could earn him over $1 million every year.
Accoridng to CNBC, he said, "Although I was scared to leave behind my secure banking job, I took a leap of faith to do what I love: Work on Financial Samurai, the personal finance blog I started as a hobby in 2009. Very quickly, I realized how much I enjoyed writing and connecting with other people online. So I made a commitment to publish three times a week. And after I retired, I had even more time to write."
According to ET, Robinson said, "A lot of people think that I'm crazy to leave AI at a time where it's so important. But for me, it was always important to focus on my goal of retiring so I could focus on myself [and] make sure that I'm doing things to make the world a better place."
Robinson now lives in Dubai where he usually spends $9,000 - $12,000 every month. According to the publication's report, he said, "When I was in college, I used to go to Wendy's all the time. I told myself, after I graduate, after I get money, I want to be in a position where I'm not having to cheap out on food."
In his interview to CNBC, Robinson said, "If you really want to feel rich. Be a mentor. Share your wisdom. Help people achieve their potential. Giving your time is more rewarding than only giving your money."
Robinson's post also further read, "I shared my early retirement journey with #CNBC who covered me in their Make It series which covers early retirees, entrepreneurs, investment experts and others helping people get smarter about how they earn, save and spend their money."