Along with 12,000 others, I was laid off by Google on Friday, January 20. This was actually more-or-less by design. I had already told my manager in late November that I was going to leave Google in early 2023. Here’s why I made that decision, and what I plan to do next.

For the record, I loved my career and I (mostly) loved Google. My work was meaningful. I led a fantastic product management team. A recent reorganization doubled my scope, and I was being positioned for promotion to Vice President.

My plans changed after I turned fifty in September. I realized I’d been running a thirty-year professional sprint: from dot-com startups to business school, the turnaround at DoubleClick, and five huge arcs at Google. I wanted to be more intentional about the remainder of my working life.

I like to do my homework, so I looked around and found an ominously-titled article: Your Professional Decline Is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think by Arthur C. Brooks. That led me to his book From Strength To Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, and Wisdom @ Work: The Making Of A Modern Elder by Chip Conley. Brooks and Conley both said it was time to abandon the success treadmill and find a new path focused on building relationships and sharing my experience.

This vision felt right. I joined Google as a workaholic so focused on execution that people joked my initials stood for “Just Business.” Today, as a husband and father active in my suburban community, personal heroics at work have lost their romance. I no longer need to work all weekend, drive a hard bargain, or jump on a plane to feel important. I get more satisfaction from helping people and teams explore ideas, make plans, and achieve their goals.

So I resolved to stop trying to be a great leader, and start learning how to be a great helper.

I knew this decision would end my time at Google. Companies grappling with corporate middle age don’t have much room for people pursuing non-traditional careers. The layoff tsunami feels like a post-facto confirmation of this fact.

So what’s next? After some time to rest and reconnect with friends and family, I’m going to set up a small consulting practice to help product-led organizations grow, solve problems, and thrive for the long run. If this sounds useful to you, drop me a line and let’s talk about how I can help. Thanks!

P.S. The abruptness of the layoffs meant I couldn’t say proper goodbyes. A few public thanks:

Neal Mohan, my manager at DoubleClick and early Google, never stopped fighting for me.

Aparna Pappu, my powerhouse ads engineering partner for a decade, made the impossible look easy.

Eduardo Tejada, leader of the Counter-Abuse Technology team, welcomed me into his world with tireless good will.

My administrative business partners: Kate, Liz, Charlie, Ben, Becky, Masha, Emily, Benjie, Ramiza, and Tiffany. You put up with my nonsense and taught me to be a better collaborator and human. I am forever in your debt.