A reflective essay comparing Luciano De Crescenzo's 1978 decision to leave IBM for writing with the realities facing developers today. The piece contrasts the economic safety nets of the 1970s (job security, affordable housing, a thriving publishing market) with today's precarious tech landscape (mass layoffs, AI displacement, unaffordable housing, a collapsed publishing industry). It argues that the romantic single leap is no longer viable, but indie hacking — building micro-SaaS products and independent income streams while employed — is the modern equivalent of De Crescenzo's courage. A practical checklist is offered: validate with real paying customers, keep infrastructure costs near zero, maintain a financial runway of at least a year, and test discipline while time is still scarce.
