Bengaluru-based software engineer Arpit Bhayani has said that his exit from Google was “purely bitter” and not bittersweet, after he was forced to resign because of a legal conflict involving his YouTube channel and online courses.

In a post on X, Bhayani said he had no plans to leave Google, but felt he had “no choice left” once the company’s legal team became involved in the matter. His YouTube channel, which has around 195,000 followers, focuses on engineering education and system design content.

Bhayani wrote that January 9, 2026, his last working day, did not feel bittersweet at all because he never wanted to leave the work he loved.

He said he was deeply attached to the domain of in-memory databases, enjoyed working with exceptionally skilled engineers, and believed there was “so much good stuff left to build.” The exit, he said, felt bitter because it was compelled by policy conflict rather than personal choice.

According to him, once a legal dispute arises inside a large company, “there is not much you can do.”

The conflict reportedly emerged between his full-time role at Google and his outside professional work- educational YouTube videos. 

What began as a side project turned into a policy issue, prompting intervention by Google’s legal department and ultimately leading to his resignation.

Bhayani’s post sparked widespread discussion among engineers and creators, especially around Big Tech policies on side projects and content creation.

A X user wrote, "You are one of the creators who said the bland truth that things will break.”

Another commented, "You would expect that Google does their due diligence before giving an offer. Wishing you the best for your next journey!" While one user wrote, "it’s wild that big tech still treats side projects as a bug and not a feature.”