Google was the dream job in tech. These workers decided to leave anyway.

Six former Google employees told Business Insider they left the company due to FOMO during the AI boom, uncertain job security from layoffs, and the desire for greater equity upside at startups or AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. Some launched their own AI startups, while others pursued entirely different careers, citing that Big Tech no longer felt like the safe choice.

For years, Google was considered perhaps the best job in tech https://www.businessinsider.com/why-everybody-wants-to-work-at-anthropic-or-openai-2026-6 . The company built a reputation for generous benefits, pay, and the opportunity to work on products used by billions of people. It remains a dream employer for many, but the AI boom https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-workers-quitting-new-startup-boom-entrepreneurship-businesses-layoffs-2026-4 has created new opportunities beyond Big Tech — and it's not just superstar AI researchers https://www.businessinsider.com/google-suddenly-losing-ai-talent-anthropic-openai-pre-ipo-equity-2026-6 leaving. Some rank-and-file Google employees have also decided their best path lies outside Google, whether that's joining another employer, launching a startup, or pursuing an entirely different career. Business Insider interviewed six recent Google employees about why they left. Here's what they told us. Some responses have been edited for length and clarity. I felt some FOMO at Google during the AI boom Yousuf Imran worked as an account executive at Google for roughly six years before leaving the company in April to launch an AI startup. He's 41 and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. I earned nearly $1 million last year as an account executive at Google, but I felt some "FOMO" around the AI boom. I think most people at Google would tell you the same if they were being candid. Google pays very well, but the equity packages at OpenAI and Anthropic https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-anthropic-openai-engineers-filthy-rich-2026-6 are in a different universe. A three- or four-year stock grant at one of these companies can be life-changing money. That math was part of my own calculus in deciding to start my own business focused on AI sales tools. If the only way to get real upside in this AI moment is equity, at some point you ask yourself whether the equity should be in your own company. Uncertain job security was another factor in my decision. What struck me about the recent layoff rounds https://www.businessinsider.com/google-clouds-quiet-layoffs-hit-cybersecurity-teams-2026-6 at Google was that they hit genuinely talented people. It wasn't a performance story; it was a consolidation story. AI is letting companies restructure teams and flatten layers, and when that's the driver, tenure and talent don't protect you the way they used to. The scarier choice was staying at Google Aashna Doshi worked as a software engineer at Google until May, when she left to build an AI startup. She's 23 and lives in New York City. In May, I left Google to go all-in on building my AI startup. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Google https://www.businessinsider.com/google-software-engineer-podcaster-quit-ai-tech-startup-job-market-2026-6 . I was learning every day and meeting a lot of smart people from diverse backgrounds. But at a Big Tech company, you're one piece of a very large machine, and I craved the ability to make decisions, move fast, and see the direct results of my work. On top of that, the AI tools available to builders right now are unlike anything we've had before. I had a strong conviction around a specific idea, and I didn't want to look back and wish I had taken the shot when the timing was this good. Leaving Google was a financial risk, but I've always believed that if you feel a strong enough pull toward something, you have to be willing to walk away from good in pursuit of something that could be great. Financial security is comfortable, but it can also be a trap. The scarier version of this decision wasn't leaving Google. It was staying and always wondering what could have been. Big Tech no longer felt like the safe choice Taylor M. LaSane worked at Google for more than 10 years before leaving her transformation manager role last October to focus on her career coaching business full-time. She's in her early 30s and lives in Atlanta. "Big Tech layoffs are happening everywhere, so it wasn't like staying there was necessarily any more stable than leaving." Google showed me how far ahead AI had become Candice Bryant worked as an internal communications manager at Google until last October, when she resigned to focus on independent consulting and building AI-related products. I worked with Google's search team during the early days of the generative AI boom https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-adoption-companies-workera-assessing-employees-2026-3 , after ChatGPT launched and before Gemini was released. When I first started seeing Google's AI tools come online, I was mesmerized by the technology. I remember seeing capabilities like NotebookLM's ability to turn notes into a podcast and thinking, "This is going to change everything." But even as I saw the potential of these tools, I realized that almost nobody in my life was using AI just yet. It dawned on me that a powerful technology nobody understands or uses isn't going to transform anything. I came to believe the real gap wasn't between Silicon Valley and policymakers https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-ai-data-center-regulation-comments-prometheus-2026-6 — it was between Silicon Valley and everyone else. I increasingly felt I could have a bigger impact helping people understand AI from outside Google than from within it. That's why I ultimately decided to leave Google and pursue that mission independently. I felt unseen at Google Joslyn Orgill worked as a data engineer at Google until August 2025, when she left to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science. She's in her early 30s and lives in Illinois. "I wanted more out of my career and my life — something that I was more passionate about than what I could achieve at a big company like Google." Read the full story here https://www.businessinsider.com/google-employee-quit-tech-job-phd-grad-school-career-change-2026-1 . Read more about people who've found themselves at a corporate crossroads I left Google to run for Congress Bushra Amiwala worked at Google for about five years before leaving her account manager role last year to run for Congress. Amiwala, who placed sixth in Illinois' Democratic primary for the seat, is in her late 20s and lives in the Chicago area. "Do I run for this seat and quit my job, or do I stay at Google and never try?" Read the full story https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-zer-quit-google-job-run-for-congress-big-tech-2026-3 here. Have a story to share about working in tech? Reach reporter Jacob Zinkula via email at jzinkula@businessinsider.com , or via Signal at jzinkula.29.