A former Silicon Valley engineer who moved to India for a few years a decade ago to start a business says the decision transformed his life, helping him overcome depression, find purpose and meet his future wife, even if it may have cost him the chance to build greater wealth.
Prakash Sanker, a founding design engineer at OpenAI, reflected on his unconventional career journey in a LinkedIn post, admitting that he occasionally wonders how much richer he might have become had he remained in Silicon Valley alongside peers who later became billionaires.
"Regret can make you miserable about a life you actually love," Sanker wrote.
According to his post, he left Silicon Valley at the age of 24 and moved to India to build a business. Looking back, he said it is tempting to imagine an alternate version of life where he joined the right startups at the right time, accumulated valuable stock options and achieved extraordinary financial success.
"Sometimes it stings," he wrote, referring to friends who have "hit it out of the park" financially.
But, Sanker said such comparisons overlook the circumstances that led him to leave the US in the first place.
‘I really needed to leave’
"When I left Silicon Valley ten years ago, I really needed to leave. I was depressed and deeply unsatisfied with my life," he wrote.
The move to India, he said, proved life-changing.
"Moving to India healed me."
Sanker credited the decision with helping him discover a more meaningful life beyond career milestones and financial outcomes.
"I met my wife. Met great people. Travelled across Asia. Understood my country and who I am. Had a ton of fun doing a lot of crazy things," he wrote.
While he acknowledged that staying in the US might have resulted in significantly higher earnings, he said the experiences he gained after relocating shaped the person he is today.
"Sure, I might have made a lot more money if I'd stayed. But I wouldn't be who I am today without those experiences."
Bengaluru chapter before return to US
According to information on Sanker's LinkedIn profile, he spent more than four years in Bengaluru building startups before eventually returning to San Francisco. He currently works at OpenAI as a founding design engineer.
His comments resonated with many professionals online, with several users pointing out that hindsight often creates an unrealistic picture of alternate life paths.
One commenter wrote on LinkedIn that people frequently assume every decision would have worked out perfectly had they chosen differently, even though that may not have been the case.
Another said comparisons can distort how people view their own achievements, adding that the move to India gave Sanker "purpose, a life partner you love, memorable travel and other experiences."
‘Value the life you have’
Sanker concluded by cautioning against dwelling on missed opportunities and hypothetical outcomes.
"Dwelling on regret will only make you bitter," he wrote.
Instead, he urged people to appreciate their present lives, relationships and experiences rather than endlessly revisiting what might have been.
"It's far better to value the life you have, the people in it with you, and the experiences that brought you here."
