Making the Jump to Independent Scientist

Am I ready yet? I currently work at FANG and am still in early-mid 20s. In college I took some grad lvl matrix theory courses and did very well in them. I really want to push this field but don't like to divert my attention, so I've focused on side income for the past year or so after graduation.

Let's say I have app/website income coming in at $5k per month, just enough to cover living expenses in bay area. This income takes 5-10 hours a month to maintain / grow.

I really would like to quit my job and spend the next couple years independently researching Matrix Theory. I believe it would be better for the world for me to push this field, rather than optimize ads.

I am wondering if anyone can think of any gotchas for when I make this jump. I know John Carmack made a similar jump in his old age to study AI, but I really don't want to give my early-mid 20s to a corporation.