Sunk costs at work
For skilled information workers, job mobility has never been easier or more profitable.
And yet, countless people stay where they are, without ever considering why.
For example, there are hundreds of senior leaders and contributors at Twitter who haven’t quit their jobs in the last week. Even though they have a financial cushion, a technical reputation and are facing the prospect of working for a new boss who has little respect for what they’ve worked on for years.
Sunk costs are powerful.
Some people stay where they are because they value unearned options in ways that undervalue their upside potential at a different gig.
Some people stay where they are because they’ve worked hard to get where they are and don’t want to risk it.
And some people stay because thinking about alternative options feels risky, and feelings of risk are tempting to avoid.
But with work-from-home, transferable networks and valuable tech skills, there are now millions of people who might benefit from thinking hard about what they hope to contribute in the future.
You don’t get tomorrow over again. The chance to build something you’re proud of with a team you are eager to work with is a privilege, and ignoring it would be a shame.
Quitting is underrated.