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Four months ago, I quit my awesome job at @Google. I'd been there for 7 amazing years working on @YouTube and @YouTubeMusic. It was fun 
, educational 
, lucrative 
, and inspiring 
. So why did I quit?
It comes down to four things: mastery, autonomy, purpose, & finance.
, educational , lucrative , and inspiring . So why did I quit?It comes down to four things: mastery, autonomy, purpose, & finance.
Time is our most precious and irreplaceable resource.
If you work 40hr weeks, you're selling your employer 1/3rd of your waking hours for cold hard cash. And let's be honest, it's probably the *best* 1/3rd in terms of alertness, focus, and creativity. You need a damn good ROI.
If you work 40hr weeks, you're selling your employer 1/3rd of your waking hours for cold hard cash. And let's be honest, it's probably the *best* 1/3rd in terms of alertness, focus, and creativity. You need a damn good ROI.
For the first 5yrs at Google I was getting an *excellent* ROI.
Yes, the money was great. But that was only a tiny part of the allure. The real payment for my time was (a) fantastic opportunities for mastery, and (b) a surprising amount of autonomy to do what I thought was best.
Yes, the money was great. But that was only a tiny part of the allure. The real payment for my time was (a) fantastic opportunities for mastery, and (b) a surprising amount of autonomy to do what I thought was best.
I mastered a ton of new tech and skills. I learned a ton about business development & large organization politics. I had leadership opportunities. I even presented at the European Commission & European Parliament! 
I didn't have a purpose that aligned with my values, but meh.
I didn't have a purpose that aligned with my values, but meh.
But when I came back from a year of paternity leave 12 months ago, things had changed.
No matter how I approached it, I couldn't find opportunities to master new skills within my org. The team was getting busier than ever, and our autonomy was shrinking.
I was stagnating.
No matter how I approached it, I couldn't find opportunities to master new skills within my org. The team was getting busier than ever, and our autonomy was shrinking.
I was stagnating.
And what about purpose?
In 2019 I read the eye-opening book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. It forced me to confront something I'd buried deep down when I started working at Google: I am fundamentally opposed to the core of their business model and what it means for privacy.
In 2019 I read the eye-opening book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. It forced me to confront something I'd buried deep down when I started working at Google: I am fundamentally opposed to the core of their business model and what it means for privacy.
Maybe most of this was in my head. 7 years is a long enough for a lot of personal growth. But whatever the reason, I was no longer getting opportunities for mastery, I had limited autonomy, and I still had no purpose. I was not getting a good ROI on 1/3rd of my waking hours.
So, what next?
I want to set my own priorities. To learn and develop new skills. To have the freedom to tackle whatever interests me most and seize the opportunities in our fast-changing world. To be the master of my own destiny.
I want to set my own priorities. To learn and develop new skills. To have the freedom to tackle whatever interests me most and seize the opportunities in our fast-changing world. To be the master of my own destiny.
There's only one way to get what I want. So I quit my job to live the dream, and now I'm a bootstrapping entrepreneur building financial independence one day at a time.
And you know what? Four months in, I couldn't be happier.
And you know what? Four months in, I couldn't be happier.
