Leaving Google

Today marks my last day at Google and an end to a truly remarkable period in my life. If feels like just yesterday we were signing the papers, telling our friends, and announcing to the world that our team had been acquired.

We were nervous, of course. Acquisitions can be tricky - different cultures, different values, different technology platforms can all conspire against successfully merging companies. But moving to Google couldn’t have been a better fit. We immediately jumped into the Analytics team and started working with them on a redesign of their product. Their openness to rethink every aspect of the app still amazes me. It’s one of the most meaningful professional collaborations I’ve experienced in my career.

I also had the opportunity to work with Google’s User Experience Team - a shockingly talented and effective group of designers and researchers. I wish I could talk about all the amazing things they’re working on; all the ways they’re changing how we’ll connect to the world’s information and to each other.

The decision to leave was a tough one. Google clearly is an amazing company to work for. After consulting with many companies during my time at Adaptive Path, it’s clear that Google is like no other: they move fast, think clearly, and push strategic decisions out to the people closest to their users. But in my career, I’ve always swung between the big and the small and it’s time for another shift.

So what’s next for me? I’ve got a couple of small projects in the works, but mostly I’m going to take a little break, travel a bit, and catch up on some serious miles on my bike. It’s been a crazy couple years … I could use a nap. ​