Overview
- Raymond Zeng, a 24-year-old Meta software engineer, told Business Insider that he lives in a deliberately bare Bay Area one-bedroom, owns no car, TV or couch, and pays about $2,600 a month in rent.
- He reported total annual compensation of roughly $306,500 with about 60 percent in stock and bonuses, base monthly pay near $7,000–$8,000 and a take‑home of about $4,000 after taxes and retirement contributions.
- Zeng says he saves aggressively — reporting monthly savings that can range from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on vesting and bonus timing — and he maxes out retirement accounts while investing in brokerage accounts.
- His stated portfolio is about 80 percent U.S. stocks and 20 percent international, and he estimates those holdings could reach projected net-worth milestones if market returns follow his assumptions; Wednesday’s interviews are the source for these figures.
- The coverage stresses these claims are self-reported and not independently verified and notes the wider context that Big Tech pay often vests over time and Bay Area transit and housing choices can materially lower living costs.