I left my dream job at Google — and I’m undoubtedly happier

A few months ago, I quit my job at Google to join Replit, a 40 person startup.

Even though I knew I needed to make the change, I had a hard time justifying it. Writing this helped me figure it out.

I had to fix my work-life balance.

I joined the company in 2011. Larry Page was the CEO. Everyone was talking about a secret project. We attended TGIF in person.

It was my dream job at the time. I was very happy with the way that GOOGLE was helping me. I had great teammates and role models. My family's financial situation has changed a lot. I was set up well to keep progressing after I was promoted.

Why was I not happy?

Someone once described balance to me as three buckets filled with water. One for career, one for physical health, and one for social and family life. One bucket might be low. If the water level is high enough, things should be fine.

The water represents your level of satisfaction.

This explains how I got caught up in the great resignation.

bucket #3 was destroyed in 2020. We were not different. They couldn't visit us from Canada. Meeting up with friends became difficult. In January of 2021, I tore my Achilles. There is bucket #2.

bucket #1 was running low for a while.

I was tired all the time. I know I wasn't alone, because it was an ongoing meme inside of Google. I realized that I missed the satisfaction of building and finishing things.

It can be hard to get things done. Projects need multi-team cooperation to succeed, so you have to do a lot of work up front. It makes projects vulnerable. The project slows down or fails when any of those teams change direction.

The rate of this happening kept increasing. There were many reasons for it. The teams are fighting over scope. Middle managers are clever enough to say OKRs in a way that makes executives think they are getting what they want. Most people have a piece of their management chain change multiple times per year because of the combination of re-orgs and departures in middle management. The resignation is like a fly-wheel.

I spent most of the year protecting my team. I wanted them to finish the projects we were excited about. My day was spent avoiding potential re-orgs or project cancellation from new leaders entering teams around me.

Another wave of organizational changes took place in September. I was burnt out despite working fewer hours. I decided that the best solution would be to work in a small area.

I found Replit through Hacker News posts. I knew the potential of the product. I had some initial ideas for them. I found myself agreeing with most of the views the CEO shared.

I reached out to them when I realized I was leaving.

I hadn't been coding in about five years. Their interviews were practical. I refreshed my skills during the evenings and weekends.

I only cared about three things in the negotiation.

• A role I would be excited about.
• Enough salary to pay my bills.
• Enough equity that if I’m right about what Replit can become, I’ll come out ahead of staying at Google.

I felt relief and excitement when I said yes to the offer. I usually tell people to follow their gut. It was great to hear my voice clearly.

Is I happy? Absolutely yes.

I work more hours. I'm more likely to work in the evening or on the weekend now. I can see that what I do makes a difference. Progress feels 10 times faster.

I have more energy. It is easier to get back into the gym. In social situations, I have more energy.

One bucket can overflow.

1. A few months later, Emerald Sea got a public name: Google+
2. We had internal social networks where “I’m so tired” became a dark running joke.
3. Alex Komoroske has a very good explanation of what happens when projects slow down using an analogy to slime mold.
4. It’s worth noting that role to me is distinct from title. I forgot to check my official title on the job offer and couldn’t answer when people initially asked me (it’s “Engineer”).
5. This sounds simple, but expenses for a family of three with a house in the Bay Area are no joke. It wound up being ~85% of my Google salary.

Scott Kennedy published this article on his website. Scott can be found on the micro-blogging site.