Khan told Business Insider that changes at Microsoft also influenced his decision. In early 2025, the company placed greater emphasis on security and service stability following several outages.
"It felt like shipping things got slower. That started to take some of the fun out of the job for me," he said.
Khan earned more than $200,000 (₹1.89 crore) in 2024, including bonuses and stock. Despite the high pay, he had already been working on his own startup, Treasury, during evenings and weekends for nearly two years.
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From a side project to a startup
Khan grew up in the UK and moved to the US in 2019. He began developing Treasury while studying computer science at the University of North Carolina.
The idea came from his experience managing finances across two countries. He wanted to build an AI-powered financial coaching platform that would be accessible to ordinary people.
Khan initially planned to leave Microsoft only if he was accepted into a startup accelerator such as Y Combinator. His applications were unsuccessful, but he decided not to abandon the idea.
Instead, he used his Microsoft savings to fund Treasury himself. Before resigning, he also made sure that some of his company stock had vested and that he would not have to repay part of his joining bonus.
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AI tools help him build alone
Khan launched Treasury in October 2025 and remains its sole employee. He credits AI coding tools, including Claude Code and Codex, with helping him develop the product without a co-founder.
The startup has generated more than $6,000 (₹5.68 lakh) in revenue and attracted paying customers. Khan, however, continues to live off his savings rather than drawing a salary.
He has also built a social media following of approximately 30,000 people by documenting his entrepreneurial journey.
Reflecting on his decision to leave Microsoft and build the company himself, Khan said, "I've learned that sometimes the only permission you need is your own."