A record of the financial transitions between the Taya era and the Vizcom era.
The Taya Payout
Amy paid herself approximately $6,500/month as a founder at Taya with no formal payroll. When she left in November 2025, the separation agreement delivered approximately $202,000 in installments:
- November 2025: $20,000 severance.
- December 3, 2025: $90,000 (share repurchase Part I).
- December 5, 2025: $2,000 legal reimbursement.
- January 2, 2026: $90,000 (share repurchase Part II).
The Transition
- January 8, 2026: Opened Fidelity brokerage account, six days after the final $90,000 landed. The timing suggests this was the first moment Amy had enough capital to invest rather than spend.
- January 28, 2026: Started at Vizcom. $250k base, ~$421k total comp.
The December 31, 2023 Panic
On December 31, 2023, at 5am on New Year's Eve, Amy fired off LinkedIn Easy Apply applications to 15+ companies in a single hour: MHP/Porsche, Cognizant, IMAGINiT, Emeritus, LHH, CreatorCore, o9 Solutions, SHOPLINE, Synergis, and more. This was before committing to Taya full-time.
The 5am panic-apply is a snapshot of doubt. Amy was about to go all-in on a startup with Elena, and some part of her was hedging at dawn on New Year's Eve. She went back to Taya anyway.
The Current State
As of early 2026, Amy has: ~$200k from the Taya payout, a $250k salary at Vizcom, a Fidelity brokerage account, and approximately $80 in Kalshi prediction markets. She writes on March 10: "I have $200k and a stable job. But none of that feels like winning."
The dissatisfaction is not financial. It is the gap between having security and feeling secure. See The Hole That Nothing Fills.