Atishay Jain, a BITS Pilani graduate, resigned from Microsoft in October to build his AI startup, ScaleWorks AI. He missed a Rs 15 lakh exit offer by just one month. Jain said, "I have no regrets about choosing entrepreneurship over his corporate career." He now focuses on his new venture.
Leaving a high-paying job at one of the world's biggest tech companies takes more than just a career plan. But for Atishay Jain, a BITS Pilani graduate, the bigger risk was not leaving Microsoft but putting off a dream he had already decided to pursue. Jain, a software engineer from Baraut in Uttar Pradesh, resigned from Microsoft in October 2026 to work full-time on his artificial intelligence venture, ScaleWorks AI.
However, just a month after his departure, Microsoft announced a voluntary exit offer that could have fetched him an additional Rs 15 lakh had he stayed longer. While missing out on the potential payout was disappointing, Jain says he has no regrets about choosing entrepreneurship over his corporate career.
A MONTH TOO EARLY TO LEAVE MICROSOFT?
In a LinkedIn post, Jain revealed that he had missed out on approximately Rs 15 lakh because he resigned just weeks before the company's voluntary exit offer. The former Microsoft employee acknowledged that the timing could have worked in his favour financially. However, he maintained that the decision to quit was not driven by the possibility of receiving an exit package.
He had already made up his mind to move on and build something of his own. For Jain, the missed payout became an unexpected reminder of how unpredictable career decisions can be.
Instead of dwelling on what he might have earned had he stayed, he chose to focus on what he could achieve with the time he had reclaimed by leaving.
WHAT HAS HE ACHIEVED IN HIS FIRST MONTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR?
Jain's first month as a full-time founder brought some encouraging developments for his startup. According to his LinkedIn post, ScaleWorks AI became an official member of the OpenAI Partner Network. He also secured acceptance into Toptal, a global network of freelance professionals that describes its talent pool as representing the top 3 percent of applicants.
More importantly, stepping away from his corporate responsibilities allowed him to devote his complete attention to ScaleWorks AI.
Based in Bengaluru, the company positions itself as an AI transformation partner, helping businesses improve their operations and scale through artificial intelligence. Jain describes his larger ambition as building an AI operating layer for the next generation of businesses.
Reflecting on the trade-off between the missed financial opportunity and the time gained to develop his company, he wrote, "So, did I lose Rs 15 lakh by leaving a month early, or gain a month of building something that could change many lives? I guess only time will tell."
He ended his post with a confident message: "Ask me in 2 years."
FROM BITS PILANI TO MICROSOFT: WHO IS ATISHAY JAIN?
Jain graduated from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, with a dual major in Computer Science and Physics between 2018 and 2023. During his time at the institute, he also worked as a teaching assistant for the course Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos.
His professional journey began with internships at Microsoft and Nutanix. He subsequently worked as a Mitacs Globalink Research Intern at Dalhousie University in Canada, where he explored deep learning models for health-related data analysis and mortality prediction.
In July 2023, Jain joined Microsoft as a software engineer in its Azure Data division. His work involved developing services to process large-scale cloud usage data in real time, particularly for billing systems.
He later progressed to the role of Software Engineer 2, working on a scalable orchestration layer for a self-healing data platform. After spending over three years at Microsoft, he decided to take the entrepreneurial route and establish ScaleWorks AI.
THE CHOICE BETWEEN MONEY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Jain's experience prompted several LinkedIn users to share their views on career transitions and missed opportunities. One user, who had left a month before a voluntary retirement programme in 2023, said they had no regrets about the decision. Others encouraged Jain to continue pursuing his entrepreneurial ambitions, expressing confidence that his efforts would pay off over time.
Jain's decision highlights the trade-off between financial security and the freedom to pursue an independent venture. Although staying at Microsoft could have earned him an additional Rs 15 lakh, he chose to use the time gained from leaving to build his own company, ScaleWorks AI.
Whether the venture achieves its ambitions remains to be seen, but Jain has chosen to focus on the opportunities ahead rather than the financial gains he left behind.