That’s it. We’re all screwed.
Because if the CFO of Google can’t find any work/life balance, what hope do the rest of us have?
Patrick Pichette, who has spent almost seven years in the top position, recently quit via possibly the best resignation letter in history.
Related: Not everyone wants work/life balance.
In the epic note, he basically tells us we’re all screwed and that work/life balance is nothing but an impossible, sweet pipe dream (much like fat-free mayonnaise that actually tastes good, and a world without the Kardashians).
He wrote on Google Plus:
After nearly 7 years as CFO, I will be retiring from Google to spend more time with my family. Yeah, I know you’ve heard that line before. We give a lot to our jobs. I certainly did. And while I am not looking for sympathy, I want to share my thought process because so many people struggle to strike the right balance between work and personal life…being a member of FWIO, the noble Fraternity of Worldwide Insecure Over-achievers, it has been a whirlwind of truly amazing experiences. But as I count it now, it has also been a frenetic pace for about 1500 weeks now. Always on – even when I was not supposed to be. Especially when I was not supposed to be.
Pichette said that the realisation hit him after he reached the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro with his long-suffering wife, Tamar.
Related: Radio boss says work/life balance is bullshit.
At the peak, Tamar asked him if they could “just keep on going” and explore the world together. She asked him: “So when is it going to be time? Our time? My time?”
And so he quit, so the couple could:
…grab our backpacks and hit the road – celebrate our last 25 years together by turning the page and enjoy a perfectly fine midlife crisis full of bliss and beauty, and leave the door open to serendipity for our next leadership opportunities, once our long list of travels and adventures is exhausted.
Pichette finished the letter with some words of advice for younger workers:
In the end, life is wonderful, but nonetheless a series of trade-offs, especially between business/professional endeavours and family/community. And thankfully, I feel I’m at a point in my life where I no longer have to have to make such tough choices anymore. And for that I am truly grateful. Carpe Diem.
Of course, it’s easy to “Carpe Diem” when you are a Google exec with more money than God, but nice sentiment.
Do you think work/life balance is possible?
Top Comments
Of course it's a myth, but lucky for him he can pack it in any time he likes. As for me, thanks to Tony Abbott, I'll be working till I'm 70. Although as a few helpful people have mentioned I can retire any time I like, um yeah if I want to live on the street in a cardboard box!
I also feel that wages haven't gone up as much as expenses/rent/mortgage etc, so we all have to work longer hours (or two incomes) to survive.
Of course people like this guy are part of the reason wages haven't gone up, because no doubt their workers are underpaid and overworked to cover executives huge salaries.
So go enjoy your travels that we've all paid for with our sweat and tears.
Not at that level. At lower levels, maybe. But you have to be prepared to make the trade-off. If you don't want kids it's easier to give more to your career. I'd love to have lots of money, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice me time and family time to get up the ladder high enough to claim it. I don't want my life to be about my job. My job is just one aspect of my life and it is not the dominant one.