Indian-origin professional shares why he left Amazon for Google after a year: ‘I kept interviewing at MAANG companies’

An Indian-origin UX designer has shared why he chose to leave Amazon for Google, despite initially being excited about his role at the e-commerce giant.Ganesh Karthik Sankar is now based in Seattle and works at Google, (LinkedIn/Ganesh Karthik Sankar)Ganesh Karthik Sankar, 29, who is now based in Seattle and works at Google, had joined Amazon in April 2025 as a product designer. Speaking to Business Insider, he said that he was initially excited about the role, particularly the chance to work on projects at scale and the higher compensation.“ April 2025, I’d accepted an offer from Amazon and moved to Seattle. I was genuinely excited about the role — especially the opportunity to work on projects at a much larger scale. The compensation was also a significant increase from my previous position,” he told Business Insider.However, Ganesh said that even after joining Amazon, he continued with interview processes at all five MAANG companies – Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google – to better understand hiring standards and expectations in the industry. He shared that his job search had begun in late 2024 while he was working as a senior UX designer at Qualcomm in San Diego. He said he was looking to work on “larger, more impactful projects” and increase his compensation.The 29-year-old noted that he was positioning himself as a special. He focused on roles related to designing complex enterprise software and developer tools, and tailored his resume and portfolio accordingly. “I targeted only roles that matched this niche, which I believe was the biggest reason I received as many interview callbacks,” he said.Ganesh shared that he also relied on networking and referrals, connecting with professionals through design communities, conferences and alumni networks. This helped him secure referrals at Amazon, Google and Meta. For Apple and Netflix, he said that he applied without referrals and reached out directly to hiring managers. In one case, emailing a hiring manager after applying for the role through helped him secure an interview, he said.Why did he leave Amazon for Google?Then, when he started his job at Amazon, he continued interviewing. “I got far into the interview process for a role at Google that ultimately didn’t work out,” he said. However, Ganesh shared that Google reached out to him again in February and offered him a UX designer role on another team.“I decided to accept the offer, as the role was closely aligned with my domain expertise and came with a meaningful increase in compensation,” he said, adding that he joined Google earlier this month.Reflecting on his journey, Ganesh emphasised that clarity and intentionality mattered more than anything else. “I think the main reason I had success in my job search — more than the referrals — was how I positioned myself as an expert in a niche and targeted only roles aligned with it,” he said.He also advised job seekers to be strategic with outreach, noting that well-targeted cold emails can be effective if tailored to the role and team. “I’d recommend reaching out to people who are hiring for roles well aligned with your profile, rather than mass-emailing everyone,” he said.