Google Paid Him $986,000 in a Single Year. Here’s Why He Still Left: ‘Life-Changing Money’

For Yousuf Imran, the writer was greener extracurricular of Google. 

The 41-year-old Google relationship executive earned $986,000 successful 2026, chiefly from income commissions that layered connected apical of a $170,000 guidelines salary. Despite making nearly $1 million astatine Google, he was drawn to the “life-changing money” that AI startups were offering their employees. 

“Google pays very well, but the equity packages astatine OpenAI and Anthropic are successful a different universe,” Imran, a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, said successful a caller question and reply pinch Business Insider. 

He was besides disillusioned pinch Google because the tech elephantine laid disconnected immoderate of his coworkers complete the past fewer years — and he wondered if he would beryllium next. Since early 2023, Google has eliminated tens of thousands of jobs globally aft rapid pandemic hiring.

So, successful April, Imran took the plunge and discontinue Google to motorboat an AI income devices startup. 

His move distant from Google highlights really the tech elephantine has mislaid immoderate of its separator successful the AI boom, per Business Insider. Google’s generous compensation packages and perks drew a adjacent stock of liking complete the years. According to employer branding patient Universum, Google was the astir appealing employer for business students for complete a decade, from 2009 to 2022, earlier losing the apical spot to Apple.  

AI startups are coming for Google’s crown

Now Google is losing crushed to AI companies. Business Insider interviewed 12 existent and erstwhile Google labor and recovered that the AI roar has opened the doorway to much opportunities elsewhere. For example, Bloomberg reported past period that 2 AI researchers, Jonas Adler and Alexander Pritzel, are readying to time off Google for Anthropic. The 2 antecedently worked connected Google’s Gemini AI, pinch Adler moving connected Gemini’s coding push and Pritzel honing the process of training AI systems. 

Google offers competitory compensation. The median Google worker made $331,894 successful 2024, a 5% summation from 2023, according to national filings. However, AI startups connection greater financial opportunities. Former Google workers want the excitement and sky-high earning potential associated pinch joining a quickly increasing AI institution aliases creating 1 of their own, per Business Insider. 

Google offers generous perks — but it is scaling back

Google has agelong symbolized the golden modular for Silicon Valley perks, pairing precocious salaries pinch lavish benefits that blurred the statement betwixt agency and life. Employees still bask free aliases subsidized meals, broad wellness coverage, generous parental time off and beardown status programs. 

In caller years, however, Google has systematically pared backmost its much royal offerings to prevention money and run much efficiently. For example, successful 2023, the institution eliminated immoderate of its snack bars and nutrient options, per a leaked unit memo viewed by The Wall Street Journal. According to the aforesaid memo, it besides unopen down immoderate cafeterias connected days pinch comparatively fewer group successful the office. CNBC further reported that Google besides ended its free massage services for workers that year. 

A Google spokesperson told Business Insider past period that the institution is assured that it tin still pull and clasp apical talent. 

For Yousuf Imran, the writer was greener extracurricular of Google. 

The 41-year-old Google relationship executive earned $986,000 successful 2026, chiefly from income commissions that layered connected apical of a $170,000 guidelines salary. Despite making nearly $1 million astatine Google, he was drawn to the “life-changing money” that AI startups were offering their employees. 

“Google pays very well, but the equity packages astatine OpenAI and Anthropic are successful a different universe,” Imran, a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, said successful a caller question and reply pinch Business Insider.