To Tech Startup or Not to Tech Startup

Kevin Jing, founder of HotTakes (8-figure ARR), reflects on why he walked away from a comfortable 9-to-5 and a mapped-out corporate career to dive into the chaos of startups. For him, the journey hasn’t been about overnight glory or rocket-ship growth. It’s been about the staircase — step after step, small win after small win — the kind of progress that compounds quietly until one day you realize you’ve built something real.