Xiaomi Employee Receives Severance and Secures Retirement Benefits in Unusual Career Exit

A post has surfaced online describing an unusual situation involving a Xiaomi Corp. employee. The employee stated, "Everyone, I received my severance payment from the company in January, and this week I successfully applied for retirement at the social security bureau. I thank my department head for the generous package and the HR representative for providing the maximum benefits within her authority. I did not dispute the severance calculation or push for a higher amount. When it comes to receiving money, I don't complain about the amount being too small. From now on, I am in control of my own life and will no longer live like a beast of burden."

The poster added that they estimate their monthly pension will be over 8,000 yuan, though they are uncertain if it will actually reach that figure. They explained, "My salary had already exceeded three times the social average wage back in the year 2000. For 26 years, my pension contributions were made at the maximum rate, which is three times the base amount, so the company didn't need to go through complicated calculations. My total working years are 29."

The employee's career history involved working in hardware testing, specifically related to manufacturing. Their final role at Xiaomi Corp. was testing camera modules within the hardware department. Possessing a relatively specialized skill set and a strong professional background, including early experience at large multinational corporations, they managed to remain employed at Xiaomi Corp. until reaching retirement age.

Remaining employed at a major tech company until official retirement is notably difficult. Even staying until age 45 at such firms is a significant challenge. Achieving a full career until retirement is a mark of considerable professional success.

The concept of retirement itself invites different perspectives. It doesn't necessarily mean stopping work only upon reaching the official age, as this employee did. An individual can choose to retire, or partially retire, once they have saved enough money. A recent topic of discussion asked how much savings one needs to feel secure in retiring. Is 3 million yuan sufficient? In reality, some people might feel confident retiring with just 300,000 yuan, provided they have significant courage and very low desires. Conversely, for someone who is more risk-averse and has high aspirations, even 30 million yuan might not feel like enough.

Personally, my current situation could be described as semi-retired. My savings are modest, and my mortgage is substantial, yet I have lost the motivation to seek another demanding, full-time job. For people around 40 years old, completely retiring like an elderly person is often impractical. The primary reason is, what would one do all day? Staying at home to travel the world and experience all life's luxuries? Three million yuan might not be sufficient for that. Alternatively, spending every day lying around, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning can become profoundly boring.

After a period of unemployment, I considered selling my property, leaving a major city like Guangzhou, returning to a smaller town, and retiring. I then spent three months with little to do—eating, sleeping, reading, and playing games. It was incredibly enjoyable at first, but eventually, it became unbearable. I proactively began looking for activities and started writing casually as a practice. Unexpectedly, my writing gained some popularity in early 2024, earning a small amount of money. After the attention faded, I took on other, less demanding work but continued writing. Another wave of interest occurred in early 2026, bringing in additional modest earnings. Although that popularity has also subsided, I continue to dedicate my spare time to it. Being in a semi-retired state, I find it difficult to remain completely idle.

From my subjective experience, for people in their thirties and forties, even without children or debt, it is challenging to be completely inactive. Constant idleness is not necessarily an enjoyment of life. Of course, being exhausted from daily work is even less enjoyable. Returning to the core question, if retirement is defined as a state of living freely, then one might dare to retire with 300,000 yuan, especially when still in their thirties or forties, with the expectation of pursuing new ventures and earning more money. Ultimately, having more savings simply grants a higher degree of freedom. For those who haven't saved enough but have some modest savings and a desire to retire, it is crucial to ensure social security contributions have been made for at least 15 years before seriously considering that step.