Why Google?

True story:

"How have your first few days at Google been?" asked Yolande Piazza, my new boss.

"To be honest, I've been pretty quiet as there's so much to take in," I said.

"Sam, you're never quiet, you're just less noisy," Yo replied

I've been asked so many times "Why Google?" ever since I announced I was leaving 11:FS to join the team at Google Cloud. My time at 11:FS was incredible, the team there will always feel like family, and the work we accomplished stayed true to the 11:FS vision of "changing the fabric of financial services". 

So why leave the dream job then? To be honest I struggled a bit in making the decision to move on, to leave a small start-up and join the global powerhouse that Google is. But in the end, the following swayed my decision.

• 11:FS is a rocket ship. Google is NASA, Spaceforce, and for that matter, StarFleet Command. I've quickly learned over the past few weeks of the incredible technical and creative talent Google has working here. And of the willingness of my fellow Googlers to ask for help from their peers and the same willingness of their peers to respond in kind. The sheer volume of talented resources Google can bring to the table to focus on working on an industry challenge is 100 times more impressive than what I was prepared for. Knowing I personally have that type of backing and resources behind me encourages me to take this type of step into the unknown, my personal version of a career spacewalk. 
• I never want to stop learning from those I work with and report to. That is one of the reasons I joined 11:FS in the first place, a chance to work with and learn from David Brear, Simon Taylor, Jason Bates, and so many others on the 11:FS team. "Watch the hires" is a phrase I often repeat and I've watched Google Cloud build an incredible team over the past few years. Industry legends such as Yolande Piazza and Derek White have joined Thomas Kurian's team at Google Cloud last year. Add to that mix leaders such as Kirsten Kliphouse and Robert Enslin, and Google thought leaders I've admired from afar such as Kelsey Hightower and Emma Coats to the mix and it isn't hard to see why I'm so excited to join and learn from the Google team. 
• I'm a storyteller at heart, and Google Cloud truly provides a global stage. My dad once told me I'd end up either a politician or a preacher because I loved to talk and bs so much (love ya, dad). I'd like to think I've matured a bit and moved past the bs by now, but I do love being part of a great conversation. And by the way, this includes actively listening to others too. 11:FS provided me with a way to channel my love of storytelling through the various podcasts and events I helped host. I trust Google will amplify this love of mine even more so. I asked my friend Boe Hartman for his thoughts when I was debating joining Google and I'll never forget his advice when he told me "Sam, you want to make a dent in the world. And at Google, you can make one hell of an impact." 

So with all this in mind, you're going to notice me being a bit more active on LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social channels once again. I'm going to force myself to sit down and put pen to paper (that's harder than you would expect for me) and capture my thoughts on where financial services and fintech is heading. I'll be uploading a video or two talking about the industry, show up on a podcast every now and again, etc. Basically, watch this space. 

IT'S TIME FOR ME TO START MAKING SOME NOISE AGAIN.