Former Meta product leader trades $250K salary for coaching startup founders

Jason Shen, the 40-year-old founder of Refactor Labs in Brooklyn, exited a senior product position at Meta—where he earned roughly $250,000 in cash compensation and vested RSUs—by June 2023. Earlier in his career he co-founded Headlight, later rebranded to Midgame before its acquisition by Meta in 2020. After a sabbatical, Shen launched his coaching practice in early 2024, concentrating on helping founders navigate co-founder conflict and scale their businesses.

His firm earned $369,000 in the last twelve months, with most clients on retainers or three-month packages. Shen now works about 20 hours a week, using AI tools to manage tasks, and balances his business with family life and personal projects such as writing a book and training for a fitness challenge.