I know a guy who spent his 20s writing an awesome program, and in his 30s he founded a company based on it. Made a shitton of money VERY quickly.

When I met him he was in his mid-late 30s, me in my early-mid 20s. All he did in his private life was try to reclaim the time he lost in his 30s.

Yes, this is an anecdote, but I mention it because he was a perfect example of what so many have documented, including you in this interesting post.