'I felt FOMO around AI': Former Google executive leaves Rs 9.3 crore job to build THIS startup

A former Google executive who earned nearly Rs 9.3 crore annually has revealed why he left the tech giant to start his own AI company, saying the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and recent layoffs convinced him it was time to "bet on" himself.

Leaving a high-paying job is never an easy decision, but for 41-year-old Yousuf Imran, the AI revolution made the choice feel increasingly inevitable. The former Google account executive, who earned nearly $986,000 (around Rs 9.3 crore) in a year, has left the company to launch his own AI startup after feeling what he described as "FOMO around the AI boom."

Imran shared his journey in an essay published by Business Insider, explaining that the rapid rise of AI companies and changing dynamics within the technology industry encouraged him to pursue entrepreneurship despite the financial security Google offered.

Why he decided to leave Google

Imran joined Google in 2020 after spending around 15 years in sales. While his base salary was about $170,000 (approximately Rs 1.6 crore), commissions significantly boosted his annual earnings to nearly $1 million.

Despite the lucrative compensation, he said he increasingly felt he was missing out on the opportunities being created by the AI industry. He pointed to companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic, where employee stock ownership has the potential to generate substantial long-term wealth.

He wrote that owning equity in a business he built himself ultimately became more valuable than remaining in a well-paid corporate role.

Layoffs became a wake-up call

Another factor behind his decision was Google's recent rounds of layoffs.

Imran said seeing highly talented colleagues lose their jobs made him realise that even successful professionals were not immune to uncertainty. The experience reinforced his belief that building his own company offered greater long-term control over his career.

He said the layoffs strengthened his resolve to "bet on" himself rather than depend solely on corporate employment.

AI experience inspired his next venture

Although Imran does not have a formal software engineering background, he spent his evenings and weekends experimenting with AI tools including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini while working at Google.

His professional role involved helping customers adopt Google's AI and machine learning solutions, giving him valuable insight into how businesses use artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems.

Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in enterprise sales, he concluded that his domain expertise could become the foundation of a successful startup.

Launching Mangosteen Studio

In April 2026, Imran founded Mangosteen Studio, an AI product lab focused on building AI-powered sales tools for account executives.

Rather than raising money from investors immediately, he plans to bootstrap the business to retain ownership and focus on product development.

Before leaving Google, he prepared financially by saving $200,000 to fund the business for two years and setting aside another $150,000 to cover his mortgage and living expenses during the same period.

Betting on expertise over certainty

Reflecting on his decision, Imran acknowledged that leaving Google meant giving up a substantial salary, valuable resources and access to cutting-edge AI technologies. However, he believes his experience in sales and understanding of customer problems gave him the confidence to take the leap.

He also argued that the current AI wave presents professionals with an opportunity to build businesses around the industries they know best, even if they do not have traditional software engineering backgrounds.