I remember when you were preparing for Google grinding leetcode and going over system design concepts live on twitch 3 years ago. And then you got the job and stopped streaming and now you've left the job. What a journey.

Great video! You nailed the feelings I went through leaving my job for self-employment. I especially resonate with the part about choosing happiness over money. You know it's the right choice, but that small voice in your head can make you feel guilty about the privilege of being able to make that decision

“Why I Left Google” isn’t clickbait at all. Clickbait is deception. Like the epidemic of fake inflammatory tweets in thumbnails. It’s such a pervasive issue and lots of big creators do it. I go out of my way to block every single one.

Great video! I also worked at a FAANG and your journal entry at 5:50 explains exactly how I felt for years. To echo your "return on energy investment", the word that kept coming to my mind was "entropy". At the big tech company, I just felt like I was constantly trying to run in mud and it kept getting slower and slower. More tickets, more JIRAs, more on-call issues. The people were actually fine, it's just the reality of projects and tech debt becoming so increasingly complex that your efficiency per hour starts to plummet. I wanted to start my own projects with a "blue ocean". Best of luck on your new journey...I am on a similar path :)

Wow, your journal entry on April 15th, 2021 explains how I feel, but I've never sat down and thought about it. The most fulfilling work for me is when I know there is a person on the end that is wanting it or needing assistance. If it is just a task that the that needs to be done and I don't know who requested it or is going to be happy receiving it, it just feels different.

Hey Adam, as soon as you answered the title of the video in the first few seconds, I was committed to watch the rest of the video due to your honesty. So many of your realizations were insightful, and it's remarkable to observe the level of maturity and self-awareness you have. You've stumbled upon some important ideas that could be very helpful to someone like me who's younger and has yet to experience the things that could lead to such insights. It was especially insightful when you explained what exactly led to your lack of fulfillment and what elements, on the other hand, DO lead to fulfillment. It was wonderful to listen to your thoughts and I hope to see more videos like this in the future!

Thanks for making this video, Adam. I totally get where you’re coming from. It’s often hard to get passionate about a company’s dreams. I have those feelings as well and usually switching teams/projects helps a bit. Glad to see you doing what makes you happy. Hoping for tons of success for you!

Thanks for your insight Adam. Glad to see you're back at streaming, I hope I can catch one live soon.

These kind of videos in my TL from experienced tech bros like you are super helpful for someone like me who are just beginning their tech corporate journey. Not much people talks about these kind of stuff. Thank you for sharing.

Man this video is unbelievably useful. My situation is kinda the same as yours. I've been feeling the exact same stuff for the last 6 years and still do (I know shame on me for not taking any action as you did) but I wasn't able to process and diagnose it this well. So I kept my fancy titles, did my duties to a very good extent but internally, it was hell man. raging hell and still continues. Thanks a lot for sharing your experience and thoughts.

Love this. Absolutely excited to see you on camera again. Such an important video.

I feel like my fulfilment criteria perfectly aligns with yours. Before I started design as a career, I immersed myself in design as a passion and a hobby, where simply putting my work out onto the internet and getting feedback felt amazing - I got a rewarding dopamine hit. I think I need to find time to start doing that again - I'd love to contribute to a community of like-minded individuals that I can really help. 🤔 Great, thought provoking video, Adam!

I can relate on the shift of moving back into the office and me being isolated because of my remote contract. The beginning of this video hit home immediately. I appreciate your honesty in this video

This is really insightful, thank you for sharing!

I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude for your openness in sharing your experiences at Google. Your honesty about the struggles with fulfillment and the nuances of remote work during the pandemic really resonated with me. It's rare to find someone who speaks so openly about their professional journey, and your willingness to delve into both the highs and lows is truly admirable. Your video struck a chord with me, particularly your emphasis on personal connection and finding genuine satisfaction in your work. It's clear that you genuinely care about your audience here an d on Twitch also, and your insights have not only been enlightening but also deeply inspiring. Watching your video has given me a lot to think about in terms of my own career and personal growth. Thank you for being so genuine and for reminding us of the importance of pursuing what truly fulfills us. Your story is a powerful reminder that change, though daunting, can lead to a more authentic and satisfying path.

you spoke about something I have been feeling for the last couple of years. You took a great step and I hope it works well for you. Hope someday I can do the same.

Thank you for sharing and being vulnerable. Hoping you are doing well :)

Congratulations!! I am excited to see what you do next.

Hey, thanks for sharing your experiences. The bullet points you mentioned as reasons to quit job applied to me mostly. If possible, people do a job they enjoy. Spending 40 hours per week on something you don't like is a hell.

Keep the title as is, it brings in traffic. The traffc will quickly understand with the first 10 seconds that it doesn't really have to do with google. Great video Adam! :)

I'm glad you ended up making this video! I see echos of my own (current) experience in what you talked about, especially regarding return on energy investment. It *is* very privileged , but I think once one tier of mazlow's hierarchy is filled, one is compelled to try and fill the next one. The hedonistic treadmill always applies and doesn't care about how objectively privileged we might realize we are.

Very nice video Adam; I'm not entirely sure what you're channel is about, but I subscribed nonetheless. I still work from home 4 days a week, but go into work on Wednesdays, and while it's extra effort to drive the 50 miles where our offices are, it's nice to have the person to person contact.

instead of "Why I left google", more like "Why I started working for myself". Good to have your streams back. Keep it up, Adam!

Thanks for making the video. As of now I am doing some content creation as well, but at the same time studying for Big Tech. It's been several times, failing again and again, but I don't want to give up, I hope I can get in one day. If I got in, I think I know I won't stay in Big Tech forever. But for now, I need the money, the experience, and the name in my resume, and I still can work on my content on the side. I hope one day I too will be privileged to make decision like yours.

Gracias por compartir tu experiencia y conclusiones

Thank you Adam, I quit my job in 5 days for roughly the same reasons, this was insightful. It's a survive or die for me right now. So I must get better and I will get better

Nice video! Thanks Adam

Thanks for sharing this. I left facebook for very similar reasons. I ended up going back to working for a smaller company and I am much happier (I feel like I have a much larger impact on the project I'm working on and I have more control/autonomy). It does feel bad to take such a drastic pay cut (especially in a high cost-of-living area), but as long as I'm making enough to live off of, happiness is the priority.

This video is so important. Money is not everything! I can relate to many things that you said, thank you for sharing Adam!

Thank you for making this video. i felt very validated

Finding balance in life is so important, I've moved down in salary just to get a job that I'm much happier at and less stressed.

well articulated, I interviewed some devs and most said: F the company but I stay because of my team.

thought-provoking video, adam. can i ask how you got the red dot cursor? i would like to use it for my own school presentations

I think i really resonate with your write up and what you said about ownership

Thanks for sharing your experience; I guess I'm kind of in the opposite boat. I work for a big tech company, though not a FAANG I get paid what feels like peanuts. This is really what's killing me. (UK based, in US terms, about ~70-80k -- in Google terms I think this would be L3/L4) I have a lot of freedom at work, I have great teammates even though the wider company leaves you questioning life choices a little bit :) When I get to work on what I want, it's great. Sometimes there's less interesting stuff but that's life.

Interesting perspective. Maybe most corporate software people eventually get to the same point in their careers. Not sure if people research industrial jobs from the early industrial time period. People worked their whole life in steel mills and coal mines using old technology for small pay. The freedom that exists now to leave high paying jobs to do what makes us “happy” for maybe even higher pay is mind boggling and interesting to think about when compared to how people lived and worked in the past. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for sharing

Wow thats really interesting, writing a journal seems to be way more important than I initially thought. I mean it seems like you were realizing things you were going through in the past, that your past self may have not seen or did not want to admit. Did you get a degree in CS btw, and what is it that you now work on in terms of your company? Just subbed!

Man is spitting facts. Once you make enough money you truly realize there are a considerations that are more important than money. Having ownership and a sense of being the captain of your own fate is must!

Hey Adam, Please leave the title as is. I don't feel like it's clickbait at all. Still miss the old botland streams, you got me into coding back in like 2019 and I now do it everyday :)

Sad truth, whatever legacy you bring will be forgotten in 200 years later...

Thanks for sharing

I came for some info about Google's work culture and instead I got a really interesting and insightful explanation into tech motivations. I wish you the best on your journeys and thank you for the questions you have left me to answer myself.

Thank you for sharing your view on working at Google. A career at a FAANG isn't for everybody and sometimes it could feel depressing! It is hard to admit that you don't like working there. I appreciate your honesty!

you are really courageous. i don't Know a lot of people can leave a company like google.

"I feel like every hour I put into my own endeavors, seem to give me an hour or more.. of creative fulfillment". I have to wake up and code a little bit on my own stuff, and that helps me at work to stop similar lack of fulfillment feelings. This is a realization i had after watching this.

Will you be streaming back on Twitch?

Thanks for this video. I recently watched a video by techlead where he alluded to coding/software engineering being a dead career path. My two brothers are front end developers. What advice would you give them about what to focus on in order to be highly marketable to American companies? They are not in the US but they have hopes to get employment here. I would like to know what you would tell them. Thanks in advance

This is how I felt and somewhat still feel. I'm not leaving my job though.

At the end of the day, it's just a job. If someone needs help, I jump in and help immediately. That's my fulfillment everyday. Spend quality time outside of work to get recharge is by far the most important thing.

Hello! I completed a cloud engineering internship by Google collaborating with another company and I was told that there is a possibility that I can get interviewed by Google. I'd like to hear if you have any recommendations and thoughts about what I should expect. Thanks!

if you start the video with the answer to the title you truly are a google-worth genious imo

Surprised to hear there's more to life than money

Do you want to impact a lot of people? Do an update without a WHERE clause in production. Ex: on the table that stores Gmail emails. You'll impact a lot of people so much they will never forget about you. :)

I'm a Disney animator whose work on the screen is RIGHT THERE but I was paid shit and Disney is evil

Great video Adam Am an electrical engineer can I be part of your team

good video

How old are you if we may ask

i work to be able to do the things i enjoy, not becuase i want to. Thing of work as your golden ticket to what you want to do and things will get better. Try to change your percention of what work migh look like isnt the best approach long term. would you do still content creation if you were paid nothing?

I imagine being an L5 wasn't inspiring either since that's where a lot of Googlers hit a career wall. I can definitely say that you present things like a Googler does, haha.

Remember when Google used to have the Slogan "Don't be evil", Adam? what ever happened to that?

I think we need to recognise that there's nothing inherently wrong or arrogant about having a privileged six figure job and wanting something more fulfilling for yourself. Everyone deserves to have that opportunity, even if they currently don't have it. The world would be at least a little bit better if more people thought that way.

At 1.6k views now. This video will hit big mark my words.

I entirely understand. However what's the alternative? KZfaq? It's hard to get views to be able to pay the bills

10:20 Yes, but it is unfulfilled from just fears I have, whether it be some existentialist fears, or unfalsifiable fears. I think I am convinced that AI, the fact that there can be exponential growth, can do a lot of good in this world. But I can't ensure that. In fact, I can't ensure that things can't go bad , which bothers me, but I must gather the strength to at least try my best in a happy and peaceful future. I guess what I am trying to say is, AI seems to be powerful field, there are many around the world trying to achieve the "singularity" which on some days I feel positive about and others sadly more pessimistic which makes me feel week in playing a positive role. I'm currently learning python right now, but basically, I guess my fulfillment would be first, our safety. My family, you, I, everyone, etc are safe. AI can reduce a lot of suffering that goes on in this world, but how can we best strive to reach such a positive goal? Thats what makes me worry, fear of failing, fear of being too late I guess? At the same time, it could be perfect timing.... I mean what are the chances to be right before such an event? Doesn't that mean we can positively take action when others couldn't have had such an opportunity? I mean is this not the most important time in history if it truly leads to the exponential growth of a SuperIntelligence AI? Reality would ultimately change, wouldn't it? So I personally think it's very important in trying to positively work towards a happy and peaceful future. It is just hard to swallow on the uncertainty of what may truly happen instead.

Feedback loop test from subscriber to the youtuber, do you copy? i repeat, do you copy?

Nah f^ck em man you didn't get given your cushy tech job you earned it, and you earned the right to be able to go out on your own

How many tech bros are there on youtube who learned programming, got accepted into an ivy league, entered and left google and now sell their cs course? I swear yall just coming out of the woodworks

‘I hate making a ton of money not doing much’

Twitch by all means is not even close to real life interaction...

Personally I think looking for happiness in your work is overrated. I'd rather make enough money on few enough hours to do what I love in my free time

I'd code 24x7 in PHP if the money was right

As much as i like your video and understand how you feel, i kinda disagree, we all know the workforce isn't for feeding your passion, it is for securing an income and status only. i believe no one should give that up unless they have their own thing already running and securing them. you could have stayed in google and learned other things and switched to other teams, maybe to deep mind or the SRE or whatever, literally anything but to quit after years of establishing your importance. having status, contribution and impact on the planet, high income is all worth sacrificing a little bit of lack of fulfillment

Dificult to take you serious when you choose to use that thumbnail. "look, I'm a stupid slave"

laid off?

So you left Google to become a KZfaqr.

bro, let me join your new company; 15+ yrs experience, android, backend

did you make anything useful while at google? what can you even do there? it's just optimizing for selling personal data.

I'm more curious why you are wearing a mask outside 🙄

A job is not supposed to be "fulfilling," it's supposed to be "rewarding" (yes, there's a difference) and it sounds like you squandered your opportunity to enjoy the majority of the rewards being employed by Google actually entails by intentionally staying remote after they started calling peeps back to offices. You don't mention it in this video, but it doesn't sound like you even attempted to move closer to a main Google location (yes, I realize it would've probably been more expensive than where you were probably living at the time; I'm in NYC, I understand high cost of living) where the bulk of these rewards would've been had by being more present in person to enjoy them. I didn't apply to Google myself multiple times and make it to the final round of interviews once and fail (another story entirely) because it's "fulfilling," I applied to Google because the three times I've been to the NYC office were more than enough to convince me that it was a place and company _worth_ working for if the environment and rewards were going to still be like that by the time I actually pass and get hired. Heck, even the first time back in 2009/2010 was more than enough but back then I didn't feel anywhere near qualified enough to even apply. It sounds like your major mistake was tying your personal fulfillment, whether "privileged" or not, to your ability to make money, which is a major no-no. Money is a means to an end, not the other way around. Your skills are what are supposed to pay the bills, absolutely, but you've very clearly outlined other things like interpersonal relationships that are tangential at best to _employment_ or _earning income_ and unrelated at worst that you obviously wouldn't get enough of by working remotely, intentionally or forced. You don't get a job at one of the two biggest tech companies in the West at your proclaimed L5 status and expect to coast, but don't blame anyone but yourself for not reaping enough of the _rewards_ of that status when they were available to you on you clearly not understanding that "fulfilling" is not the same as "rewarding." If you were smart, you saved up money for quitting. That will probably last you quite some time while another high-profile tech job conveniently falls into your lap because of your credentials. If you were truly smart, you'd be physically present at that office more than three days a week if being around people at a workplace is so important to you, moving house to make that happen if you have to. Meanwhile, I've been looking for a full-time programming job since 2020, stuck sleeping on some guy's couch in an NYC apartment currently with no heat during a cold snap exchanging web dev for him that he used to pay me cash money for.

Idc, why you left

Another person making why i left google video nobody asked mate ..nobody ever gave a f

I love that this guy is self aware about the struggles of others and the advantage of being able to say "I wasn't fulfilled". I wish more had this level of self awareness 💪🏿👏🏿🦦