Our protagonist
Steven Vachani and I are sitting at a Starbucks because, he doesn't want to say it, but: He doesn't have an office or a home in Silicon Valley anymore.
"I'm passionate about what I believe in and I'm also confident that even when the path is not clear, you know, you'll find a path," he says. "I'm also willing [to] suffer. I think a lot of people have a — they're not adaptable."
Vachani is based in Brazil, where life is more affordable. He flies into San Francisco a lot, though, in an ongoing effort to stay in the tech biz.
He's got a daily routine here: Go on Priceline and look for the cheapest room in town. And when that's too expensive, the 41-year-old with graying hair checks into a youth hostel. "I spent years of my life living in a youth hostel, so it's a place where I feel very comfortable," he says.