This march, Google’s chief finance officer, Patrick Pichette, announced his early retirement on Google +. In an unprecedented move, he has chosen to spend his time traveling the world instead. The idea apparently came to him on a hiking trip on Mount Kilimanjaro. In a world where idleness and leisure are equally disregarded in the favour of productivity and wealth accumulation, Pichette’s decision can serve as an example to all of us. Perhaps climbing the ranks of a multi-billion dollar institution sounds like paradise to you, but don’t forget to consider paradise itself.
Read an excerpt of the article written by CONOR DOUGHERTY:
SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Pichette, Google’s chief financial officer, is retiring to spend more time with his family. Seriously. On Tuesday Mr. Pichette announced the news of his retirement on Google’s social network, Google Plus. Then, in what Google’s chief executive, Larry Page, described as ‘‘a most unconventional leaving notice,’’ he tried to convince the cynics that he was, indeed, retiring to spend time with his family. ‘‘We give a lot to our jobs,’’ he wrote, adding: ‘‘And while I am not looking for sympathy, I want to share my thought process because so many people struggle to strike the right balance between work and personal life.’’ ...read more