https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9677863
I hope that you translate your passion into using technology to truly help make the world a better place.
You could argue "well at least those coal miners didn't live in Ethiopia or Rwanda"
There is exactly one person on this planet at any time who has it worse than everyone else, everything else is just relative.
This from someone whose accomplishments include mobile advertising and an app that recapitulates hotlinked YouTube annotations? If you're going to make the argument personal, you'll do well to ensure first that doing so won't undermine the moral high ground you're attempting to take.
What the OP realised is that money is no good if chasing it wrecks your time. Is he lucky to be able to choose another way? Yes, but that doesn't make his decision any less valid.
I am in the exact same situation as him (without the equity large enough to cover my mortgage), but I recognize my last employer was actually good to me, my unhappiness was not their fault.
I wouldn't hold out too much hope for that. It sounds like they quit because they would rather play with pokemons.