Why I Left Google (after 9 years)

Hey friends - After 9 years at Google, I'm sharing the raw truth about my journey from nearly failing in my first quarter to becoming a top global performer, and ultimately why I decided to walk away.

Let's dive in!

Watch it in action

Resources

• Ali Abdaal's Odyssey Plan Exercise Video

My Rocky Start at Google

Very few people know this story but I almost didn't make it past my first quarter at Google. For context, when I joined the sales team in 2016, I was completely out of my depth. I was the youngest person on the team and the only one with zero sales experience.

Google had a very hands-off culture back then, which meant minimal formal training. I failed the mock sales pitch that all salespeople had to pass not once, not twice, but three times in a row. This had never happened at Google before. As a result, when I became on-target, I developed a fear of calling clients, preferring to just email them instead.

The Turning Point

So I thought about quitting since I didn't think I would make it past my probation anyways. But luckily for me, a colleague-turned-mentor shared something that changed everything. He said it in Chinese, but it roughly translates to: "Don't punch with your left hand if you're right-handed." Basically, play to your strengths.

This simple advice made me realize that my youth and inexperience could actually be advantages. I had the energy to work longer hours than anyone else, and people forgive Nooglers for making mistakes. So I decided to go all in for one quarter and see what happens.

I scheduled one-on-ones with everyone on the team to ask for advice. I sometimes spent my own money to travel and shadow senior reps in their client visits. I spent every weekend that first quarter learning the Google Ads product inside and out.

From Worst to First

Put simply - and I'm going to humble brag for a bit here - I went from being the worst performer to being ranked the number one seller globally in the small business segment for one of the quarters. I also got promoted after just 8 months.

Two things I learned from this experience:

1. First, even if you feel unqualified, you have strengths - use them.
2. Second, and this has been a core belief ever since: everything is figure-outable.

It's hard to articulate how humiliating it felt to be the worst performer on the team. But the upside was that for every professional challenge I've faced since then, I would tell myself, "This is nothing compared to those first three months when I felt like an absolute loser. I figured it out then, I'm going to figure this out now."

This mindset also gave me the courage to hand in my resignation last month.

Why I Left Google

My decision to leave basically boiled down to three main reasons: one big pull factor and two smaller push factors.

The Pull Factor: Teaching Is My True Calling

I went through the Odyssey Plan exercise developed by Dave Evans and Bill Burnett of Stanford Business School. The exercise asks you to envision three different five-year paths:

1. Your Current Path: What your life would look like if you continued down your current path
2. The Alternative Path: What your life would look like if you took a completely different path
3. The Radical Path: What your life would look like if money, social obligations, and what people would think were irrelevant

As I worked through this exercise, it became crystal clear that true fulfillment for me comes from being an educator and being able to teach at scale.

The joy I feel when someone shares how my content helped them find a job, understand AI better, or improve their workflow delivers so much more satisfaction than almost any achievement during my Google career (except for overcoming those first three months—I'm still super proud of that).

The combination of doing what I love, the fulfillment it brings, and the positive impact on people's lives made pursuing this teaching path feel like a no-brainer.

Push Factor 1: The Corporate Game

I simply didn't want to play the corporate game anymore. This isn't unique to Google, but office politics and networking start to matter more than hard skills as you move up. For my most recent promotion, finding the right stakeholder to say the right thing during the calibration meeting was more important than showcasing my actual achievements.

With my low tolerance for BS and my tendency to make what some people might misconstrue as inappropriate jokes, staying in corporate would not be playing to my strengths.

Push Factor 2: Maintaining Integrity

This is more of a tactical consideration but I want to continue giving honest and unbiased opinions on different AI and productivity tools. By leaving, I won't have any conflict of interest when I talk about Google Gemini and Google Workspace tools.

What's Next

Unlike many YouTubers who announce big next steps when they quit their jobs, I'm taking a different approach. I want to spend the next few months rediscovering how to have fun and relax.

I've been working 80-90 hour weeks for the past 5 years, and it's taken a huge toll on my relationships. I've lost a lot of friends because I prioritized work over them. That's on me.

I want to travel more, having developed an unhealthy bias against traveling because I didn't want to "waste time" on transit. I'm debating between Switzerland and Iceland, so recommendations are welcome.

I also want to start reading fiction again. I love Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, all the books from Barry Eisler, and recently started Tom Wood's Victor series.

Most importantly, I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be uploading regularly, doubling down on evergreen educational content that cuts through the hype and noise. There's so much BS out there, especially with AI, so my North Star hasn't changed: I'm going to continue making content that makes a tangible impact on your life.

A Final Thank You

To the four people I hold personally responsible for putting me through 9 years of Google:

• Aakash, my classmate who referred me: You're welcome for the referral bonus
• Jocelyn, my recruiter: I'm so sorry for the 10,000 follow-up emails
• Wilson, my second interviewer: You're one of the smartest people I know, thank you for being my mentor
• Stella, my third interviewer: Your ability to always do the right thing has been a huge source of inspiration

I fully understand that Google as an entity doesn't care about individuals, but I wouldn't be who I am today without these past 9 years. So thank you, Google, for giving an unremarkable nobody from Hong Kong a chance to be remarkable.

If you enjoyed this

Check out my Day in the Life of a Googler video next!