‘Quit Google, lost my ego’: Delhi entrepreneur shares reality of leaving high-paying job for startup

Delhi founder reveals struggles after leaving Google for startup journey. (Image: rohitsakunia/ Instagram)

Many people dream of leaving a secure job to follow their own path, but the reality can be far more difficult than expected. One Delhi-based entrepreneur has shared how walking away from a high-paying role at Google tested him in ways he never imagined.

Rohit Sakunia, founder of ArtE Mediatech and co-founder of InViz AI, said the move affected his confidence and sense of identity. In an Instagram post shared earlier this month, Sakunia wrote that moving from being a “Google guy with a great job” to an unemployed founder with a failed startup caused his sense of self to collapse faster than he was prepared for. He said the loss of professional identity stripped away his ego and left him questioning who he was without the role he had built around.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Sakunia worked as a Community Manager at Google between 2013 and 2015. “Leaving the high-paying job at Google changed my life,” he said in his post.

Sakunia described how his confidence left quietly during this period. “Confidence quietly left too. Every morning I walked into the living room acting normal, while my 3-month-old looked at me like I had answers. I didn’t. And pretending made that painfully clear,” he wrote.

He further said his lowest point was not a single dramatic moment but a series of everyday realisations. “Rock bottom for me was checking my bank account and opening multiple browser tabs searching for ways to start again,” he added.

“There was no motivation to lean on. No clarity, no plan, just the same four walls and the need to keep showing up anyway,” Sakunia said, highlighting the struggle of facing uncertainty.

During this period, Sakunia also became a father. He admitted that being a parent changed how he viewed his situation. “Holding my baby changed the weight of everything. Every time I held my 3-month-old, I felt love and pressure at the same time. He became both my anchor and my fuel,” he explained.

He said that while he often told others he was “figuring it out,” the pressures of new fatherhood, financial instability and professional failure were difficult to hide. “The people closest to me already knew. I kept saying ‘I’m figuring it out,’ but new fatherhood, no income, and the weight of failure have a way of surfacing on their own,” he expressed.

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A post shared by Rohit Sakunia (@rohitsakunia)

Reflecting on his journey, Sakunia said the experience reshaped him with humility and patience. “It smelled like humility. It stripped my ego and quietly rebuilt me into someone more grounded, more patient, and very clear about what I never want my family to go through again,” he wrote.

Sakunia’s post received praise and encouragement from social media users. One commenter wrote, “Keep going,” while another said, “Hope you bounce back :) strong this time.” A third noted, “I mean these same moments might appear while having a job as well… no matter how stable the income is. I appreciate ppl taking risks.”