Aashna Doshi Leaves Google for AI: A Bold Bet on the Future

A Bold Transition to Entrepreneurship

Aashna Doshi, 23, made a bold decision to leave her position at Google to dive into entrepreneurship with a startup focused on artificial intelligence. Before taking this leap, she had already begun to make a name for herself in the tech world through a podcast she launched during her time at Google. This podcast allowed her to forge valuable connections with industry leaders and innovators, which played a crucial role in her decision to leave the company in May to fully dedicate herself to her new venture.

Aashna Doshi started a podcast while she was a software engineer at Google. This podcast helped her establish relationships with founders, executives, and tech leaders. She left Google in May to focus on her AI startup, as staying felt scarier than leaving. This first-person essay is based on a conversation with Aashna Doshi, a former software engineer at Google living in New York. The text has been edited for length and clarity.

Taking Calculated Risks

In February 2024, while still a student at Georgia Tech, Aashna received a job offer from Google for a position in California. However, her desire to work in New York led her to decline this opportunity, a risky choice given the competitiveness of the tech job market. Her determination paid off, as she eventually landed a software engineering position at Google in New York. This was just the beginning of her risk-taking, as she would soon embark on a side project that would change the course of her career.

In February 2024, a few months before graduating from Georgia Tech, I received a full-time job offer from Google. But there was a catch: the offer was for an engineering position based in California, and I really wanted to work in New York. In a tech job market that had become more challenging for many of my peers, no opportunity could be overlooked. Despite this, I decided to take the risk and decline the offer.

An Insatiable Need for Creativity

Despite a rewarding experience at Google, Aashna felt the need to express herself more creatively outside of her technical work. This is how the podcast "0 to 1" was born, which she co-hosted with a fellow engineer. The show's concept is based on the idea that true value lies in the journey between the starting point (zero) and the endpoint (one). This project allowed her to meet inspiring individuals and learn from their experiences while expanding her professional network.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Google. I learned something new every day and met many smart people from diverse backgrounds. However, working as a software engineer is a very technical job, and I wanted something more interactive and creative outside of my desk. I loved meeting people, hearing their stories, and learning from them, which ultimately sparked the idea to launch a podcast. In early 2025, while working at Google, I launched the podcast "0 to 1" with my co-host, a software engineer at a major tech company.

An Expanding Network

The podcast quickly gained popularity, reaching over 100,000 views on YouTube in its first year. Through this platform, Aashna and her co-host were able to interview influential figures from major companies like Amazon and Microsoft. This success facilitated their access to industry leaders, which would have been difficult to achieve without this initiative. The podcast became an essential tool for "networking up" and establishing valuable connections.

The podcast helped us "network up." Many of our early guests came through cold direct messages, our network, and people close to us. We interviewed founders, engineers, executives, and creators about their journeys, from their beginnings to where they are today. Things progressed much faster than expected. In the first year, the podcast surpassed 100,000 views on YouTube. Eventually, it became easier to reach out to people, and we were able to invite leaders from major companies like Amazon and Microsoft.

The Right Moment for a New Start

Working at a large tech company can feel like being just a cog in a vast machine. Aashna aspired for more autonomy and the ability to see the direct impact of her work. With the emergence of innovative AI tools, she saw a unique opportunity that she didn't want to miss. In May, she left Google to fully dedicate herself to her startup, Bounty. This company offers a model where businesses pay only for verified results, which is particularly relevant in the AI field.

In a large tech company, you are a part of a very large machine, and I aspired to have the ability to make decisions, act quickly, and see the direct results of my work. Moreover, the AI tools available for creators right now are unprecedented. I had a strong conviction around a specific idea, and I didn't want to look back wondering what could have happened if I had seized this opportunity when the timing was so right. In May, I left Google to fully commit to building my AI startup, Bounty, with my podcast co-host. It's a results-based AI marketplace where companies can post specific tasks—like sourcing candidates, managing communication, or generating leads—and only pay for verified results.

A Risky Financial Bet

While leaving Google was a logical decision personally and professionally, it involved giving up a comfortable salary. The startup Bounty is still in the pre-launch phase and is not yet generating significant revenue. Aashna is taking a founder's salary, which is much lower than what she earned at Google. The podcast, although influential, is not yet a source of income, but she hopes it will become one through future partnerships. Aashna is convinced that pursuing a passion is worth the risk of leaving a stable situation, even if it means sacrificing short-term financial security.

Having the podcast helped me gain the confidence to make the leap. We live in a world where media and distribution are essential for a startup, and having a podcast with an integrated audience of founders and operators—the people for whom our company is built—is the perfect distribution channel for what we are building.

Although leaving Google made sense from a personal and business perspective, giving up my salary at Google was not an easy decision. We are still in the pre-launch phase and are not generating revenue yet. I am taking a founder's salary, but it is definitely a fraction of what I was making at Google. The podcast is not generating revenue yet, but we hope it will soon through partnerships. Leaving Google was a risk, but I have always believed that if you feel a strong pull towards something, you must be willing to step away from the good to pursue something that could be great. Financial security is comfortable, but it can also be a trap. The scariest version of this decision was not leaving Google. It was staying and always wondering what could have been.