It seems like he probably has enough saved to never have to work again. I don't think I'd keep plugging away either if I was in that position and the work wasn't my passion.
I'm not sure if this is maybe subtly sarcastic but to be clear, early retirement would require at least 10x as much
What are your numbers here? Someone else estimated his savings would be around $600k, which is $18k/year at a conservative withdrawal rate of 3%. Why would early retirement need $180k/year?
To downramp from the hedonic treadmill that a high salary affords.
Also I assume he would need to own property, otherwise he’s shoveling out a good portion of the paycheck per month.