A Google employee who earned nearly $1 million a year on why he quit; says: Most people at Google would tell you the same if ...

Ex-Google employee Yousuf Imran, who claimed to earn nearly $1 million, has shared why he decided to leave the company and start his own AI business. In an interview with Business Insider, Imran said concerns about missing out on the AI equity boom, uncertainty around job security, and his interest in building AI products influenced his decision to leave Google after six years. He noted that while Google offers high salaries, equity packages at AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic have changed how many employees think about career opportunities."I think most people at Google would tell you the same if they were being candid,” Imran told BI. He added that stock grants at some AI companies can be "life-changing money," highlighting that this even became part of his decision-making process. Instead of pursuing a role elsewhere, he chose to launch his own AI startup, saying he questioned whether the equity should be in his own company.

Yousuf Imran explains why he left Google

Imran joined Google in 2020 after spending about 15 years in sales, helping customers adopt Google's AI and machine learning technologies.

He said his base salary last year was around $170,000, while commissions accounted for most of his earnings, bringing his total W-2 income to about $986,000.He attributed his career growth to what he described as the "immigrant hustle," explaining that his family moved from Bangladesh to New York when he was five years old. He also said spending time understanding customers' businesses and learning about AI and machine learning helped him in his role.

Outside work, Imran said he spent nights and weekends experimenting with AI tools, including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. What started as small personal projects eventually developed into AI applications and side projects over nearly 18 months, leading him to consider building a business focused on AI sales tools.He also cited uncertainty created by previous rounds of layoffs at Google as another factor behind his decision.

According to Imran, recent layoffs affected employees he considered highly talented, making him think more seriously about starting his own venture. In April, Imran left Google to establish Mangosteen Studio, an AI product lab that develops go-to-market tools for account executives.

What financial planning did Yousuf Imran make before starting a business

Imran said he did not leave Google impulsively and that he had prepared financially before making the transition. He set aside $200,000 to fund the business for two years and another $150,000 to cover his mortgage and personal expenses during that period.He said his goal is to bootstrap the company for as long as possible instead of raising outside funding, as doing so could reduce his ownership stake.Imran is currently running the business as a solo founder with support from a small team of engineers, marketers and contractors. He said several sales professionals have already used the company's AI tools free of charge.Reflecting on the broader impact of AI, Imran said the technology is creating opportunities for professionals with domain expertise to build their own businesses. He added that although leaving Google meant giving up financial and professional benefits, he believed it was the right time to take the risk.