I don't really understand comments like this. No, his time is not free, but his 'salary' is the 200k he made while doing this.

You wouldn't say to someone who is making 200k with a cushy corporate salary and ask "but what's your time worth?" - it's redundant.

$200K if you count all the benefits, insurance, and tax reductions, $150K base on W2 is equivalent to bare $200K.

Many developers make $150K.

Indeed. So what?

He's able to do this while running his own business and working for himself.

I think most developers would rather take $200k running their own business over $150k working for a corporation.

This is HN after all - we know many people here are taking much less than $200k in order to build their own businesses.

Not to mention with a corporate salary, that $150k stops once you stop working. With recurring revenue from selling products, it doesn't.

what do you mean exactly ? I just wanted to say that it was an investment because I did not work as a contractor or employee while creating apps. But in a sense, I could estimate the cost because for the first 8 months I was not profitable and have to use some money I've have in the bank.