Vinay Hiremath Opens Up About Life After Loom’s $975 Million Sale
The sale of video messaging platform Loom to Atlassian for $975 million marked a significant milestone for the company and its co-founders. However, for Vinay Hiremath, the newly acquired wealth and freedom have come with unexpected challenges. In a candid blog post, the co-founder and former CTO of Loom shared his experiences grappling with identity, purpose, and emotional difficulties following the sale.

The sale of video messaging platform Loom to Atlassian for $975 million marked a significant milestone for the company and its co-founders. However, for Vinay Hiremath, the newly acquired wealth and freedom have come with unexpected challenges. In a candid blog post, the co-founder and former CTO of Loom shared his experiences grappling with identity, purpose, and emotional difficulties following the sale.
“I am rich and I have no idea what to do with my life,” Hiremath titled his post, detailing the inner turmoil he faced after stepping away from the company he helped scale over a decade. While the sale brought immense financial security, Hiremath described the emotional void that followed. His decision to leave Loom also meant forgoing a $60 million pay package, a choice he found both liberating and disorienting.
Following his departure, Hiremath retreated into the wilderness, referring to this period as an attempt to rediscover what it means “to be alive again.” This introspection, however, did not immediately yield clarity. Meeting with numerous investors and robotics experts left him uninspired. “It started to dawn on me that what I actually wanted was to look like Elon, and that is incredibly cringe,” he admitted, highlighting his struggles with self-perception and authenticity.
Hiremath, who shared much of his newfound wealth with his parents, also revealed that his romantic relationship of two years came to an end during this period of upheaval. Describing the relationship as one of “unconditional love,” he expressed regret over his inability to meet his partner’s needs, writing, “If my ex is reading this. Thank you for everything. I am sorry I couldn’t be what you needed me to be.”
Amid this personal and professional reevaluation, Hiremath attempted a bold and untrained climb in the Himalayas, a journey that nearly ended disastrously due to hypoxia. Despite the physical and emotional strain, he described the experience as transformative. Friends later encouraged him to explore opportunities at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Hiremath joined the initiative, working intensely for four weeks before ultimately deciding it wasn’t the right fit for him. “After 4 intense and intoxicating weeks, I called off my plans to move to [Washington,] D.C. and embark on a journey to save our government,” he wrote, adding that he subsequently booked a one-way ticket to Hawaii.
Now, Hiremath is charting a new course, focusing on studying physics and aiming to build a company that “manufactures real world things.” Unlike Loom, he is prepared for his next venture to take a more grounded approach, writing, “If it doesn’t reach the soaring heights that Loom did, so be it.” He emphasized his commitment to embracing humility and authenticity moving forward.
The personal account offers a rare glimpse into the often-overlooked struggles faced by successful entrepreneurs. For Hiremath, the journey after Loom is less about replicating past achievements and more about finding fulfillment on his own terms.