2 weeks ago
Harvard-IIT graduate quits 9-5 job to question life's meaning
A woman named Charmie Kapoor studied at Harvard and IIT, two very famous schools, and worked at big companies like Microsoft for about ten years.
One day, she decided to quit her regular job.
She wanted to figure out what really matters in life.
At first, it felt strange not getting a monthly salary.
But she also felt free because nobody controlled her schedule.
She started doing things like working out every day, running a small mango toast delivery, and helping friends with their companies.
She learned about three big ideas: nihilism, existentialism, and absurdism.
She says she is becoming more of an 'absurdist,' which means accepting that life has no built-in meaning and living happily anyway.
Many people online said her story felt very relatable.
Charmie Kapoor, a Harvard and IIT graduate who worked at Razorpay, Microsoft, Dunzo and Unacademy, quit her full-time job after about a decade.
In a post on X, she described adjusting to life without a fixed work schedule and no longer receiving a monthly salary.
She said not having a calendar felt 'liberating' and began choosing projects based on curiosity rather than deadlines or a pay cheque.
She explored the philosophies of nihilism, existentialism and absurdism, saying she now feels herself moving closer to absurdism.
An approach from one of the 'hottest startups in the world' did not ignite her as she expected, and her post drew relatable responses from other users.
- Who
- Charmie Kapoor, a Harvard and IIT graduate who previously worked at Razorpay, Microsoft, Dunzo and Unacademy
- What
- Quit her full-time 9-to-5 job after about a decade and shared a candid account on X about finding meaning in life, exploring nihilism, existentialism and absurdism
- Where
- The reflections were shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter); Kapoor's location is not specified in the article
- When
- Her X post was dated August 11, 2026; she left her full-time job a few months before that
- Why
- To question life's meaning, escape the structure of employment, and pursue curiosity-driven projects instead of rushing into another conventional job
Key facts
- Person
- Charmie Kapoor
- Education
- Harvard and IIT graduate
- Previous employers
- Razorpay, Microsoft, Dunzo, Unacademy
- Career length before quitting
- About a decade
- Platform
- X (formerly Twitter)
- Post date
- August 11, 2026
- Philosophies explored
- Nihilism, existentialism, absurdism
- Current philosophical leaning
- Moving closer to absurdism
Quotes
Charmie Kapoor
Harvard and IIT graduate who left a decade-long career
“"I’m going for a swim at 2pm, working when I actually feel like working, having long conversations with friends over breakfast, building things purely because I want to see them exist in the world and learning to make design content and putting it out there."”
indianexpress.com
“"Thoughts on leaving a 9‑5 job as someone who always found a lot of meaning in work. It’s been a few months since I left my full‑time job."”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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