Author: Mati Roy | Created: 2021-12-10 | Updated: 2021-12-10

My current life plan [2021]

Update [2022]: I need to write a new version of this document, but here's a quick update.

• I decided to focus longterm on working to make the transition to AGI go well, and I'm working as a technical program manager for the Human Data team at OpenAI (2024 update: now at xAI!).
• I now have my Employment Authorization Document in the USA, and I'm working towards full citizenship.
• I now have my own family: Carissa (wife) and Thane (7 year old).

I was born on 1990-10-09 (I’m 31 years old).

Career

I’m currently thinking of doing startup/business for 1-5 years. Then:

• if it fails, try to do cryonics research; if opportunity cost is too high, do project management
• if it succeeds but plateau (>1.5M USD lifetime profit), transition to cryonics research
• if it succeeds and keeps growing a lot, use it to fund cryonics research

I would also consider doing project management for an AI alignment project / organization right away instead of doing startup/business.

I would also consider doing cryonics research right away, but I feel like I would need to have a significant paycut for a while and acquire domain-specific knowledge that is not transferable unlike doing project management, so this would be a risky career path, but one I’m still open to.

At like 1.5M USD of wealth, I would feel more comfortable taking a paycut. Although if that takes me say 10 years to reach, then I’ll need to revisit whether a career transition still makes sense at that age.

Note: I have a vision for startup/business, but it has uncertainties, and in any case isn’t ready to share.

Wealth

On a conservative trajectory, I can live a comfortable life with 2 children.

The main things I would do with more wealth are:

• Use that wealth to get more wealth
• Use that wealth to afford a salary cut and do cryonics research
• Use that wealth to fund cryonics research
• Have more children (scales almost linearly with wealth for a while)

See details on this here: https://www.facebook.com/mati.roy.09/posts/10159935559274579

US Citizenship

Summary: I would like to become a US citizen.

Why

• I would like the option to have a job for which I can’t get an H1B visa easily (ie. jobs that are not related to by university degree; mostly some types of project management)
• I would like a backup to use assisted suicide in case both 1) you can’t use it in the US as a tourist, and 2) either a) Canada bans it or b) cryonics service providers can’t come to Canada to do preservations. This seems pretty unlikely to happen. (More on this)
• Pay lower taxes

More on this.

The reasons don’t seem that strong, but I’m still inclined to do it.

How

• Marriage (seems like the most straightforward, but not only possible path)
• H1B visa (I could get a random part time programming job, or maybe some form of cryonics engineering job, or some job combining project management and programming, or hiring myself with my own business)
• EB5 visa would require to have a successful business

(More on this)

Location

Summary: I have a rather strong preference to work towards a US citizenship; I would like to live in Central or North America.

My current startup/business work can be done remotely.

I wouldn’t mind living in Montreal for the next 0-2 more years (but also don’t mind leaving).

I wouldn’t mind living anywhere in the world for the next 0-2 years.

I would generally prefer to live somewhere in the US with the goal of eventually becoming a US citizen.

I’d be okay living anywhere in the world longer term if I already had a US green card (ex.: through marriage), but if it was outside the US, I would still prefer if it were close (ex.: Canada or Central America).

If I did cryonics research, it would probably need to at least start in Rancho Cucamonga, California (1h car from Los Angeles) or Vanconver, Washington (15m car from Portland). Then it could either stay there, mayybe be in any state with laws permitting medical aid in dying, or mayyybe be anywhere else.

I have a general preference for lower tax places, but this is flexible.

Note: The Netherlands is also promising for good cryopreservation using MAiD.