Why Ex-Employees Are Glad They Sold Google

Dan Engel was the vice president of market development at Picasa, which was acquired by Google in July 2004, when he joined the company as about its 2,000th employee. Working from Google's Santa Barbara, Calif., office, he was put in charge of online advertising for AdSense and AdWords.

Engel never intended to work for a large company, and he left Google just four months after he started -- but not before making sure he had some stock in hand that he could use to bootstrap a new company.

Engel, 31, was already co-founder and CEO of Morpheus Software, a digital animation software company. However, with 10 employees and the company practically "running itself," he set his sights on a new venture.

Engel founded FastSpring, an e-commerce engine designed to streamline online shopping, especially for digital products, with Ken White and Ryan Dewell in 2005. The company now has 10 employees and about 50 clients.

The best takeaway from Google, says Engel, is that "Mentioning Google makes people pay attention," though he also admits Google taught him about B2B marketing. He's also parlaying his experience working on AdSense and AdWords into consulting work with another new company, CPC Search, launched with four partners.

Though Engel may seem spread thin as a triple CEO, he sees all his Santa Barbara-based businesses working together, and he's focusing the bulk of his energy on FastSpring, which he believes will grow the fastest. Combined, Engel says his businesses are bringing in less than $20 million a year, and the serial entrepreneur doesn't rule out jumping aboard any other new ventures. "I'm an opportunist," says Engel. "I don't stick around longer than I need to."

Beyond Tech

Not everyone who has left Google has created a tech or online start-up. Charlie Ayers, the first Google chef and employee No. 56, was an integral part of building the company's culture by creating food that would make employees want to come in early and stay late.