I wish you the best in the Offline

A reflection examines several people who have deliberately left social media, AI, or the internet entirely, and unpacks why and what that departure looks like. Salma quit the internet and left a DevRel role, arguing community building doesn't fit neatly into product or marketing and rejecting metric-chasing; she has gone dark and is reportedly working as an individual contributor. Chad Whitacre announced retirement via a typewriter letter to make a religious zine from a rural town near Pittsburgh, prompting questions about how a $10-zine project, healthcare, or living expenses get covered - trust funds, inheritance, Bitcoin, or long-term savings are floated as possibilities. Brett Codes declared he’s done with AI and video, aligning that move with an existing low-tech life (veganism, dumb phone) and accepting the career risk of stepping away from a field companies are rapidly scaling toward.

The writer admires these exits while observing the irony that leaving removes visibility into whether the retreat improves life, finances, or mental health. Capping the examples at three, the piece resists romanticizing outcomes because watching the Offline from Online would spoil its mystery, and it closes by wishing those who left the best and expressing a personal interest in joining the Offline someday.