This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Yuhao Xu, a former engineer at Facebook and the cofounder of Kuse, an AI-powered visual workspace. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his employment history.
I studied computer science at Zhejiang University, one of China’s top universities.
One career path stood out among my Chinese peers: study in the US and land a job at a Big Tech company in Silicon Valley. That was the dream, and I pursued it.
In many Chinese families, stability and status are deeply valued. Having a so-called stable job and predictable financial security is viewed as a “good” choice.
My parents and uncles ran very small businesses. They never considered themselves successful, so they were always hoping I could get a stable job and life.
I went to Carnegie Mellon University in the US in 2016 to pursue software engineering for my graduate studies. There, I interned at Google. After I graduated, I joined Meta in 2018 — then known as Facebook — to start my career on Stories. I worked there for about three years.
Working in Big Tech was a stable path to ‘success’
Google and Meta gave me a strong start. I learned to scale products, work in a big company, and communicate with people from different cultures.
My first project at Facebook was to optimize one of the buttons users see when they enter the app. It was a big project — making a button larger could generate millions, if not billions, of dollars for the company because it changed how everything was laid out in the app and on the website.
At the beginning, it was fun. Your first project could impact millions of people. I worked with some of the most talented people I’ve ever met.
The path was clear: promotions, larger scope, bigger teams, higher status.
I gave up money and certainty for startup life
I soon realized that big companies are not where frontier innovation happens. A big company is usually about scale and about how to optimize its metrics. Especially in the AI era, they tend to act much more slowly than startups.
After Meta, I returned to China in 2021 and joined a Japanese startup, SmartNews, where I worked on AI projects. In 2023, ChatGPT came along, and I started wanting to try more interesting stuff.
In 2024, I met my co-founders, and we founded Kuse together. At the beginning, we didn’t know what we wanted to build. We just knew it had to be about AI.
I started Kuse shortly after I got married. Money and certainty were a big part of what I gave up. But my family and wife respected my choice to become an entrepreneur and supported me.
When younger people ask me whether they should start a company or join a startup, my answer is usually no. People underestimate the risks, especially the pressure. It’s not just financial. It affects your relationships, your family, and your personal life.
Most of my classmates and former colleagues are still working at Big Tech companies in Silicon Valley. They earn a lot and live a cozy life.
Now in a startup, uncertainty is constant. We change our marketing strategy, technical solutions, and customer-facing products every month.
As a startup founder, it also feels like being on call 24/7. You’re always reachable, always accountable, and you carry the company with you mentally at all times. But I’m much happier than before.
The economy is pushing Chinese workers toward risk or stability
The global economy has been on a bumpy road for the past five years. It affects young people everywhere.
In the Chinese community, I see two extremes. Some people take even more risks. Others want a safer job.
It’s normal for Chinese people to leave their jobs to become startup founders nowadays. The barrier to building a startup is low now, thanks to AI. In every industry, everything can be rebuilt with AI.
When I graduated from Carnegie Mellon, it was easy to enter Big Tech because everything was on the upside. Stock prices were rising, and promotions were faster.
Since around 2020 or 2021, layoffs have become normal. Chinese professionals in the US may need a visa. They tend to take less risk; otherwise, they might lose their job and be forced to leave the country.
Do you have a story to share about building a tech business? Contact this reporter at [email protected].
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