Why I Left Google
I debated whether to write this article for a long time. How it would affect my relationships with past co-workers? How would it affect future employment opportunities?
After I retired from Google, I started driving Lyft to pass the time. One time I had a Lyft passenger who was a techie, and we talked about tech culture. After hearing my story, he asked me if I have seen the show Billions? He told me this quote.
It’s great advice. I’m not here to tell anyone off, but it’s a reminder to not be afraid to speak my mind. I’m probably also overthinking the spotlight effect.
The reason I left Google is that (viewed from my little corner of the Google universe) Google has become a product company, not an engineering company.
Goodbye, Old Friend
I joined Google in 2007 because I wanted to work for and with engineers like Larry Page. My first few teams were led by really great tech leads. The engineers decided what to build and when to ship.
Back then we had TGIF every week. Larry and Sergey would host the event, where Sergey would show up in his biking outfit, welcome the Nooglers, then jokingly tell them to get back to work. TGIF was equally informative and entertaining. Googlers were encouraged to ask difficult questions and speak their minds. Larry and Sergey’s openness…
