Why this man said "goodbye" to Google

Did this guy just do the unthinkable?

Michael Peggs, formerly a strategic partnership development consultant at Google, has quit his job. Despite the good pay, the perks and the good job title, he's decided to make a go of it on his own, and get involved in a start-up.

This is, apparently, big news.

Peggs, who is based in New York, decided to leave his job with a bang - by making a video about his reasons why, and then writing an article explaining his thought process of leaving the job that is "too good to let go".

Of course, it has since gone viral... because who in their right mind would choose to leave Google?!

I mean, it must be like bowing out of a cult - you can do it, no one will stop you if it's what you really want, but it's generally frowned upon.

But in all seriousness, why is his resignation such massive news?

Peggs is doing what thousands of people all around the world are doing by leaving the security of a regular paycheck to test out the entrepreneurial waters. Personally, I think it's great. I also think he couldn't have had a better lead-up and career experience (not to mention the networks and connections made) before starting his own business than working at Google.

I really wasn't sure why he made leaving Google such a big deal, so I Googled him (naturally) and discovered he also runs a business helping leaders boost their personal branding. So, riding on the coattails of the Google name to quit his job and launch something new makes total sense now.

There's a comment at the bottom of this article which says Google is probably the winner in all this (any publicity is good publicity, right?) and that Peggs' video would probably work as a great recruitment tool. I agree.

But I do also agree with the sentiment Peggs is trying to get across. He's trying to say that life is too short. That if you become complacent, go and do something else. That if you've run out of challenges, go and find some new ones.

It definitely was a brave move to leave a steady job to venture on his own, and for that, I commend him.

What are your thoughts? Let me know.