Walking away from a job that pays around $1 million (around Rs 8.5 crores) may seem unimaginable for many people. But that is exactly what Yusuf Imran, a former Google account executive did. After earning approximately $986,000 in 2025, Imram decided to resign from Google in April 2026. This was followed by him launching his own artificial intelligence startup. His reasoning was that the AI industry is rapidly evolving and he did not want to miss on any opportunity around it. Also, he even admitted that the ongoing layoffs across the world in the technology sector played a huge role in his decision.Is AI FOMO a real thing?In this case, Imran admitted that AI FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) played a hygge role in his decision of leaving Google. Undoubtedly, Google offered great opportunities for remuneration and career growth, Imran believed that the greated financial opportunities would come in the future through ownership and equity, not by salary alone. He strongly felt that AI startups could generate a better long-term value than traditional corporate roles anywhere.The concern of layoffs played a role?He believed that the current wave of global restructuring and layoffs in the tech industry made it difficult to trust the traditional security which is usually associated with big tech jobs. He was not laid off. But, he believed that relying only on his job could make things uncertain for him going forward. So, he wanted to build a business of his own while AI adoption was increasing globally.How he prepared before resigning?Leaving a high-paying job is never an impulsive decision. And the same was the case here. He spent months preparing financially before submitting his resignation to Google. He reportedly set aside around $200,000 to fund his startup and approximately $150,000 to cover personal living expenses till the startup at least leaves a break-even point. This financial cushion allowed him to leave the job and focus on building his company without the immediate pressure of generating income and profits.What is his startup working on?Imran has launched Mangosteen Studio. This is an AI startup focused on developing artificial intelligence tools for sales professionals. With nearly two decades of enterprise sales experience, including his last stint at Google, he aims to build AI-powered products that help account executives enhance their productivity and customer engagement.The Mangosteen Studio has already introduced free AI tools that have gained user adoption while the startup is still in the initial growth phase.Why does he believe AI is the biggest opportunity today?Imran believes artificial intelligence is one of the largest business opportunities across industries in the decade. He feels that professionals with domain expertise, irrespective of the field, can now use AI to build products faster than ever before.According to him, his curiosity, continuous learning and understanding customer problems were instrumental for his success at Google, his decision to quit and start his journey of becoming an entrepreneur.A growing trend among Big Tech employeesWhat Imran did clearly highlights a growing trend across Silicon Valley. Many Google employees in the past have also left their stable and well-paying jobs for AI startups, consulting businesses, research and more.While the industry still continues to offer attractive packages, many professionals have increasingly started moving towards ownership, flexibility, building products and taking advantage of the current AI boom. This is more of a global trend and is seen across countries in the tech industry.Other frequently asked questions around the change in techWhy did the former Google employee leave despite earning nearly $1 million?Yousuf Imran said that he left because he did not want to miss any opportunity in the AI startup boom. He believed that ownership would offer him greater and long-term financial potential than a conventional job with a fixed salary and regular annual increments. Also, the uncertainty in the industry because of the layoffs happening around played a role here.How much did he earn at Google?Imran said that his total W-2 income for 2025 was approximately $986,000, with commissions making up the majority of his earnings.What company did he start?He founded Mangosteen Studio and is using his experience in enterprise sales to build AI products for sales professionals. The idea is to enhance customer engagement and improve efficiency.end of article