A former finance employee has gone viral for ditching his demanding corporate job in favor of early morning sunrises and content creation.
Saad Akhtar, 25, shared his first day of post-corporate freedom in a TikTok video that has since amassed more than 4.4 million views and 887,000 likes. The post showed him running through empty streets in New York City in the early hours of the morning, declaring: "My days of being a finance bro are over."
The short clip, posted April 7 under @sodakhtar and captioned: "My first 5 a.m. morning as a free man," struck a chord with viewers on the platform, sparking conversation about the bold act of quitting stable jobs.
Behind the viral humor, Akhtar's decision was rooted in both creative ambition and burnout. He told Newsweek about the path that led to that jubilant early morning run and why he gave up the role in corporate finance that he had worked hard for.
"About a year ago, I started posting silly little videos online—just for fun, not thinking much of it," Akhtar said. "Over time, those videos started picking up traction, and a small following slowly turned into something bigger."
Balancing a demanding job from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and creating content late into the night, Akhtar said his passion for online creativity quickly outpaced his tolerance for the finance world.
"It became my passion project—something that actually made me feel alive," he said. "But eventually, I hit a wall. I couldn't balance both anymore."
His viral video, recorded on his first free morning after quitting, captured a moment of personal liberation.
"That video was taken on my first morning of freedom—on my way to see the sunrise," he said.
Now in Adelaide, Australia—where he grew up but had not returned to in over two decades—Akhtar said he is finally learning to rest and recalibrate.
"It's wild because I haven't been back in over 20 years, I've never really paused. I've never just chilled," he said.
He's not ruling out a return to "corporate America" someday, but for now, he is focused on the present.
"I'm finally giving myself permission to just be," Akhtar said.
He acknowledges that his ability to step away from a traditional career path and turn to making money from social media instead is a privilege, and that corporate jobs offer much-needed stability for many people.
"When I was in college, I actively wanted a corporate job," he explained. "It felt like the safest option, and I was genuinely grateful to land one."
But, he added, his time in the finance industry changed his outlook: "The arbitrary accumulation of wealth won't make you happy or fulfilled."
For Akhtar, the shift was not about rejecting work, but about realigning with his passion.
"Life is about figuring out what you're passionate about and going all-in on that," he said. "And that's why I believe Gen Z is starting to drift away from traditional jobs.
"We're more in tune with our passions, more willing to take risks for what lights us up."
And while his viral video was filled with levity, the message behind it is serious: "Honestly, I think that's beautiful—because isn't that kind of the whole point of life?"
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