David Chong quit his $192,000-a-year Microsoft job last year to build an AI startup.
Weeks later, most of his belongings were stolen during his move from New York City to Toronto.
He shared how he’s trying to bounce back — and why he doesn’t regret going all in on entrepreneurship.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with David Chong, a 38-year-old startup founder in Toronto. He previously worked as a senior software engineer at Microsoft until resigning last September. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I resigned from Microsoft in September 2025. Less than a month later, I lost
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