Buddhist monk gets job at Meta with over Rs 3 crore pay, now challenging Accenture

Lilly Chen went from becoming a Buddhist monk at 16 to working as a software engineer at Meta and later founding FSH Technologies, a startup that has raised $25 million and competes with Accenture for government contracts.Lilly Chen, a former Buddhist monk and Meta engineer, now leads FSH Technologies as it competes for government contracts against Accenture. (Image created using AI for representational purposes)Lilly Chen's career has taken an unusual route. At 16, she dropped out of high school and became a Buddhist monk. Years later, after returning to the US and teaching herself to code, she joined Meta as a software engineer. Today, at 30, she is the founder and CEO of FSH Technologies, a startup that is taking on established consulting firms such as Accenture.Chen's story was recently shared in an interview with Business Insider, where she described how her time as a monk influenced the way she approaches technology and business. Chen became a monk after struggling with Graves' disease and poor access to healthcare. She and her mother eventually moved to a Buddhist monastery in rural China, where she spent around six months. Her daily routine involved waking at 3am, meditating, growing food, cleaning and fetching water.One lesson from that period stayed with her was listening. People would visit the monastery to discuss their problems. Rather than offering solutions, the monks mainly listened. Chen says that experience taught her how important it is to understand people before trying to solve their problems.The head monk later encouraged her to return to the US and pursue education. Chen had no high school diploma, so she initially planned to get a GED and attend community college. A chance meeting at a college fair changed that plan. She took the ACT and scored a perfect 36. Colorado College subsequently admitted her, despite her unconventional educational background. There, Chen taught herself to code. After graduating, she joined Meta as a software engineer. She eventually left the company and founded FSH Technologies, which she says develops software for governments, schools and public agencies.What is she doing now? How is she challenging Accenture?FSH focuses on modernising outdated government technology rather than selling traditional consulting services. The company has now raised $25 million, including a recently announced $20 million Series A led by investor Lachy Groom. Chen says FSH frequently competes against Accenture when bidding for government contracts and has beaten the consulting giant in some cases."We frequently encounter firms like Accenture in government contract bidding, and we have beaten them," Chen said.Her approach is partly inspired by another lesson from the monastery: "Be the pond, not the fish." The idea, she explained, is to look at an entire system instead of focusing on one isolated problem. That philosophy has become central to FSH's business. Chen says that fixing government technology is not simply about replacing software. Procurement rules, existing processes and resistance to change also need to be addressed.As for the reported Rs 3 crore pay, that figure needs a caveat. Chen's actual Meta compensation has not been publicly disclosed. The amount has been inferred from a separate Business Insider report about another Meta software engineer who earns over $300,000 a year. That is roughly Rs 2.8 crore at current exchange rates, which is not a confirmed salary for Chen. But this does give a rough idea of what the employee must be getting from the tech company.- EndsPublished By: Ankita GargPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 15:59 IST