The Gig Economy Case Study: Khemaridh Hy

In 2015, Khemaridh Hy was living the lif e. As managing director at a top Wall Street firm, he was pulling in a salary of $2.3 million and had the kind of prestige that most can only dream of. It was what the second-generation American had always aspired to in his career. But, after 15 years in the industry, he did the unthinkable. He quit his cush job and started a podcast to focus on his passion.

Not many would be able to comprehend Hy’s choice, let alone do something similar. As a content creator, Hy makes a fraction of what he did on Wall Street, but he loves what he does and he has more time to spend with his family, two factors which he considers priceless.

Working 12-hour days, he felt “comfortably numb” as he put it. “You’re not unhappy, but you’re definitely not happy,” Hy said.

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On vacation one year, he started a newsletter that covered topics related to workplace psychology and philosophy. He would organize meetups and networking events for like-minded professionals and discovered that was really where his heart and mind were.

“Those things lit me up. I realized that 5% of my activities were bringing me 99% of my happiness,” he said. “ ‘Imagine if you could do that all day.’ ”

Then, when he and his wife had a baby, he decided he would take the leap—quitting his finance job and going all in on the creator business.

Fortunately for him it worked out. He quickly became one of the most popular commentators in the industry with many of his articles reaching over 200 thousand views. From his various channels, Hy takes in about $250,000 per year, a modicum of his Wall Street income, but more than enough to maintain the life he wants to live.

Hy is a part of a growing movement known as ‘the Gig Economy’, and he’s helping to transform the way we work.

This article is a part of a series based on our Annual Strategic Report, The Future Is Gig. Download the report here.