I left work as a CTO, after 7 years, to become a coder again. Pay plummeted, but I'm happier and I feel like I actually contribute with something valuable. Mostly, I love learning new tech things, which I was too distanced from as a manager. If I were to leave the high paced tech life, my choice would not be to become a technical socialist/idealist, which is my take on the article; I would probably try something else, like gardener or electrician.