What it’s like to log off from a career in tech
Sep 7, 2026
What it’s like to log off from a career in tech
Kris Bell climbed the career ladder in the Seattle tech industry. But this year, he chose to leave it behind.
The labor force participation rate — which measures the share of working-age Americans who either have a job or are looking for a job — has fallen sharply this year, and it’s been on a steady decline for decades.
Many Americans have left the labor force because they have to. Others, because they wanted to. For Kris Bell in Mercer Island, Washington, his career in the tech industry just wasn’t working anymore.
“I found myself almost on a yearly basis having to figure out who I was going to lay off on a team,” said Bell. “And at some point it felt like that cycle was exactly what I did not sign up to do.”
Waves of layoffs have rocked the tech industry over the past few years. And they’ve increasingly been attributed to growth in artificial intelligence.
This year, Bell chose to retire early at age 49. Now, he’s taking the opportunity to focus on parenting while his wife remains employed.
“This summer, I ran dad camp with my two tween girls,” said Bell. “Every week, we had planned activities that we did, each of those activities aligned to a category that we decided upon.”
Plus, there’s a new member of the family to look after: a puppy named Junebug. “The last two weeks of dad camp before [my daughters] start school have really turned into puppy camp,” said Bell.
To hear more of Bell’s story, click the play button above.
