Designer behind Gmail moseys along…
Google Inc.’s Kevin Fox, who helped design the Gmail e-mail program, said he is leaving the Internet search engine to work for a startup company.
Kevin, who also worked at Yahoo before, does not make it explicit exactly why he is leaving Google. But it is not unlikely that he wants to experience a fresher company, with higher risks, quicker decisions, more adventure, more learning and self-development due to new lessons and challenges, more openness in outside communication, less overhead and so on.
Fox is quitting Mountain View, California-based Google after 4 1/2 years, he wrote on his blog today. He designed Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Reader 2.0, according to his home page. He was also leading the design of Google’s publishing products, such as Blogger, Google Groups and Page Creator.
Fox’s resume is both impressive and accurate; it states that, from August of 2003 to the present, he has acted as Google’s “Senior User Experience Design Lead.” At the end of today, he will need to do a little updating, though, as this will be his last day at Google.
Through recruiting, hiring committee and mentor-ships, I helped grow the User Experience and Research group from seven practitioners to over a hundred. As a founding member of both the Search and Apps UX [user experience] review committees and a steward of Google’s design philosophies, I’m privileged to have an impact on the majority of Google’s user-facing services and features.
“Fox did not reveal the name of the start-up he is joining now, but he does describe some of his feelings in regards to the switch.”
Referring to the move away from Google in his blog, Fox said, “Will it be awkward when I talk with friends [made at Google] about the web and they have to censor themselves to prevent discussing confidential products? Even more novel, how easily will I adapt to working in an environment where we are far more open about the projects we are working on, to the point of evangelizing them.”
It is strange to have found success at Google and yet feel a need for greater fulfillment sufficient to pull you away from what is generally recognized as the best workplace in America. It is even stranger that Google is the first place I have ever worked where I feel that I’m part of the company as opposed to working for the company.
This makes leaving even stranger because it is not just moving, it is excising a part of yourself, a strange cleaving of personal relationships that used to be about friendship and products, but is now just about friendship.
So, although Fox’s departure seems to be taking place on good terms, it will nonetheless be something of a blow to the search engine giant. Another, probably unrelated, issue: aside from a pledge to blog on a daily basis, Fox does not state exactly what he plans to do. “I have decided to take the plunge and do it all over again, working for a very small start-up” is the only clue he drops in a blog entry.
Ah, well. Employees have been leaving Google left and right in recent months, and from an outside perspective, we can at least comment that the trend will allow that many more new people to work at the wonderful Googleplex.
It is quite wondering if excellent people leaving Google will cause a noticeable brain drain in the company and its web apps. At this time, Google products by and large have very good usability, but will that still be the case in a couple of years?
Google, whose shares have surged eightfold since their initial public offering in 2004; has also recently lost two other executives to new ventures. Chris Sacca, who was working on bids for this month’s auction of wireless airwaves, and Salman Ullah, a former director of corporate development, left late last year to invest in new companies.
But, for Google it depends on three factors: Being able to hire great new people for everyone great that leaves’, being able to put those people in an environment where they can apply their skills without a lot of barriers, and in general, keeping the company spirit (mission, values, and approaches) alive.
“Google’s press office did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.”