“Are you sure you want to let go of all this?”
That question wasn’t just about salary, status, or position. It was actually a much deeper dilemma: Do I keep living in a system… or start building my own?
And my decision at the time—although it seemed like just a career move—was in fact a personal geopolitical shift. I didn’t leave because I was disappointed. I left because I saw a map no one else had drawn yet.
When the Comfort Zone Becomes a Cage
Many believe that the comfort zone is a reward after years of struggle. But few realize—stay too long, and it becomes a silent prison.
I was in a well-established organization, with a stable salary and a high-ranking position. But quietly, I became an actor in a script I didn’t write. The world was moving forward—IoT, AI, data economy—but we kept repeating old templates.
I saw young Malaysians becoming increasingly tech-savvy, yet there was no local platform to be their launchpad. We were still consumers, not creators. Still dependent on foreign digital infrastructure, without control or data sovereignty.
“If not us, then who?”
And that’s when the decision was born—not from courage, but from a sense of historical responsibility.
Leaving Power to Create Direction
I left my position. With no guarantees.
No office. No big team. No funding. Just an idea, conviction, and one burning resolve:
To build Favoriot as Malaysia’s true digital infrastructure.
Not just a platform. But a symbol. That we can be self-reliant. That innovation isn’t exclusive to Silicon Valley. That locals too can build world-class solutions.
But I knew the world doesn’t offer space just because of noble intentions.
The credibility I once had didn’t carry into the startup world. Emails that once received quick replies now fell silent. I was no longer a “Senior Director”—just an unproven founder.
But that’s the real cost of walking away from the old system—you lose short-term influence to build long-term strength.
Becoming an Architect in an Unbuilt World
Starting from zero is a spiritual exercise.
I had to become the thinker, the marketer, the engineer, the writer, the salesman—and sometimes… the coffee maker for guests who might not even become clients.
But in that process, I saw something I never did in the corporate world.
I saw how one IoT dashboard could change how a city council manages their city and provide information to their citizens.
How students using Favoriot got hired before graduation.
How universities started incorporating IoT into their syllabus not because the Ministry told them to—but because they saw the future.
And I began to understand—sometimes, real impact doesn’t come from applause. But from quiet change in the system.
This Decision Was Never Just About Me
Looking back, I realized this decision was never just personal.
It was about building an alternative.
In a world increasingly dependent on technology, those who control data, control the future.
If Malaysia continues to rely solely on foreign platforms, we will always be spectators in a drama written by others.
Favoriot is not the ultimate answer.
But it’s an attempt to carve a new lane.
So that Malaysia doesn’t remain on the sidelines.
So we have a choice. So we are not forever users—but creators.
What I Learned
We can’t wait for national change to trickle from above. Sometimes, true change begins when someone chooses to exit the system… and starts building a new one.
And yes, it hurts. It’s lonely. It’s full of failure.
But in that silence, I found my voice again.
And in those failures, I found strength I never knew I had.
The Question We Must Ask
Malaysia today is also standing at a similar crossroads.
Do we keep waiting for outside directives?
Or do we start writing our own script?
As I’ve learned from my own decision—what seems small, can ignite something far bigger.
The real question is:
Do we dare to leave our national comfort zone… to become a nation of builders?
Or will we remain a stepping stone in someone else’s grand agenda?
Because history won’t wait. And the future… belongs only to those bold enough to write it.
Dr. Mazlan Abbas 