fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Software engineer quit a $250,000 job to open a matcha cafe in Manhattan: 'I wanted purpose and meaning'

Cnbc · · 1469 words · By Mike Winters; Mickey Todiwala
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Ready to play
Daily briefing

What to know about Software engineer quit a $250,000 job to open a matcha cafe in Manhattan: 'I wanted purpose and meaning'

Michelle Yeung, 29, says she used to earn roughly $250,000 a year as a software engineer in New York — enough to travel, buy almost anything she wanted and stop worrying about money for the first time in her life.

Claims checked 17
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Michelle Yeung, 29, says she used to earn roughly $250,000 a year as a software engineer in New York — enough to travel, buy almost anything she wanted and stop worrying about money for the first time in her life.

Why it matters

Back in 2022, however, Yeung felt increasingly disconnected from her work.

Common ground

Despite the high salary, she says spending her days behind a computer screen no longer felt meaningful to her.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/04/software-engineer-quits-250000-job-to-open-match…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7
info Single Source 5
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
schedule
Claim 1: “She took out about $25,000 in student loans”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 2: “In March 2026, her total personal spending came to $2,291”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 3: “Today, Yeung runs Matcha House, a cafe on Manhattan's Lower East Side specializing in matcha”
VERIFIED
CNBC reports that Yeung runs Matcha House, a cafe on Manhattan's Lower East Side specializing in matcha. This is further supported by Instagram posts mentioning @matchahouse.nyc as a new matcha spot in the East [Village/Side].
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dec 11, 2025 · Learn about the name Michelle including the meaning, gender, origin, popularity, and more.
https://momlovesbest.com/michelle-name-meaning
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 14, 2025 · Michelle is a frequently used girl name. Learn more about the meaning, origin, and popularity of the name Michelle.
https://www.parents.com/michelle-name-meaning-origin-popular…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sep 27, 2024 · As their third album arrives, New York collective MICHELLE is leaning into boy bands and girl groups for inspiration.
https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/michelle-album-songs-abo…
check_circle
Claim 4: “Michelle Yeung, 29, says she used to earn roughly $250,000 a year as a software engineer in New York”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (CNBC, TikTok) confirm that Michelle Yeung, 29, earned approximately $250,000 a year as a software engineer in New York.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — All Shall Be Well (Chinese: 從今以後) is a 2024 Hong Kong drama film, written and directed by Ray Yeung, starring Patra Au and Maggie Li Lin Lin. The film initially revolves around Angie and Pat, a well-o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Shall_Be_Well_(film)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Isobel Yeung (born 1986) is a British long-form documentary senior correspondent. She has covered a variety of stories concerning major global issues such as ongoing world conflicts, terrorism, mass d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isobel_Yeung
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng (YOH; ; Chinese: 楊紫瓊; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. In a career spanning over four decades, she has acted in film and television productions covering a wide rang…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Yeoh
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 5: “The cafe opened in July 2025”
CORROBORATED
CNBC states the cafe opened in July. An Instagram post from July 24, 2025, explicitly mentions the grand opening is 'THIS SATURDAY (July 26)', confirming a July 2025 opening.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tea (茶, cha) is an important part of Japanese culture. It first appeared in the Nara period (710–794), introduced to the archipelago by ambassadors returning from China, but its real development came …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_culture_in_Japan
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Disclosure Day is a 2026 American science fiction thriller film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp, based on a story by Spielberg. The film stars an ensemble ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disclosure_Day
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Japanese tea ceremony is a cultural activity known as sadō/chadō (茶道, 'the way of tea') or chanoyu (茶の湯, 'hot water for tea'). The ceremony focuses on the presentation and serving of matcha (抹茶), …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 6: “In the fall of 2024, Yeung traveled to Japan to learn more about matcha sourcing and preparation.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this claim.
schedule
Claim 7: “Just before opening Matcha House, Yeung gave up her $3,300-a-month Manhattan studio apartment and moved in with a roommate”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 8: “After her father left when she was 12, her mother supported Yeung and her two older brothers by running a daycare business out of their home”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of general research reviews on domestic violence and unrelated stories; there is no specific evidence regarding Michelle Yeung's family history or her mother's daycare business.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — a small comparison sample of 12 young people whose parents did not have alcohol ... source of support and see them as family-focused rather than focused on the ...
https://learntoshareblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/childre…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 7, 2005 ... family support after being abandoned by their spouses. Leocadia was ... After the meeting, mothers spoke about having to take their young children ...
https://webfiles.ucpress.edu/oa/9780520969520_WEB.pdf
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Based in. Nashville, her nonprofit, The Beat of Life, has a mission: to bring music and storytelling to people in desperate need. ATHLETICS. 10 / Making the ...
https://catcher.sandiego.edu/items/usd/Summer2018_USD_Mag_sp…
schedule
Claim 9: “The cafe now employs about 10 part-time workers”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 10: “Yeung says she ultimately invested about $150,000 of her own money into Matcha House”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 11: “she graduated from the University of Washington in December 2019 with a degree in applied and computational mathematical sciences”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for the University of Washington and applied mathematics do not mention Michelle Yeung. No evidence confirms her graduation date or degree.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2006, Dec. Princeton Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, Dynamical Systems &. Nonlinear Science Seminar. CV-22. Page 23. Other Talks. 2021, July.
https://faculty.washington.edu/sbrunton/cv.pdf
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Simons Foundation's Mathematics & Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for its Travel Support for Mathematicians program, ...
https://www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/travel-support-for-ma…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sun (Computer Science) [Winter 2019–Spring 2024]. • Placement: Now a postdoctoral scholar in computer science at University of Washington. ▫ 12. David ...
https://www.math.ucla.edu/~mason/porter_cv053025.pdf
schedule
Claim 12: “Based on her current income, Yeung qualifies for Medicaid coverage”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 13: “By early 2025... she had built more than $200,000 in savings”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this claim.
schedule
Claim 14: “Yeung says she has no student debt, car payments or credit card debt.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 15: “The roughly $160,000 compensation package, including salary and bonus, felt surreal.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence focuses on her $250,000 salary. The specific detail about a $160,000 initial compensation package is not corroborated across the provided snippets.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2026 ... Michelle Yeung, 29, says she used to earn roughly $250,000 a year as a software engineer in New York — enough to travel, buy almost anything ...
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/04/software-engineer-quits-2500…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 30, 2026 ... Michelle Yeung, 29, used to earn around $250,000 a year as a software engineer in New York — enough to stop worrying about money for the ...
https://www.tiktok.com/@cnbcmakeit/video/7657234351091944717
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 30, 2026 ... Michelle Yeung, 29, used to earn around $250,000 a year as a software engineer in New York — enough to stop worrying about money for the ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaN2OuPjJHp/
info
Claim 16: “she expects to pay herself about $33,000 in 2026”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this specific financial projection is not present in the search results snippets, though it likely originates from the same CNBC profile. No independent corroboration found in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dec 11, 2025 · Learn about the name Michelle including the meaning, gender, origin, popularity, and more.
https://momlovesbest.com/michelle-name-meaning
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 14, 2025 · Michelle is a frequently used girl name. Learn more about the meaning, origin, and popularity of the name Michelle.
https://www.parents.com/michelle-name-meaning-origin-popular…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sep 27, 2024 · As their third album arrives, New York collective MICHELLE is leaning into boy bands and girl groups for inspiration.
https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/michelle-album-songs-abo…
info
Claim 17: “Yeung was born in San Francisco, where her family of five spent her first eight years living in a basement studio apartment in Chinatown”
SINGLE SOURCE
While a web search result mentions Michelle Yeung leaving a software career to open a cafe, the specific details about her birth in San Francisco and living in a Chinatown basement studio for eight years are not corroborated by the other provided sources.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York metropolitan area has the largest ethnic Chinese population outside Asia. As of 2024, the population was estimated at 924,619, a number which includes residents from various regions of Ch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_people_in_the_New_York…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hong Kong Americans (Cantonese: 香港裔美國人、港裔美國人、美籍香港人、美港人), include Americans who are also Hong Kong residents who identify themselves as Hongkongers (who see Hong Kong as their home and are culturally a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Americans
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable Chinese Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants who have made exceptional contributions to various face…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_Americans
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.