Google Employee to Start New Design and Development Studio Following Layoff

Henry Kirk, a Google manager for eight years, looks to start his own business venture with ex-Google employees following his firing.  

Kirk, who had worked on the iOS and Android experience of Google Apps, was one of the 12,000 employees laid off following the tech giant’s announcement last January.  

"I was pretty bummed out for about five minutes, but then I said, 'well I still have a family to take care of, I learned a lot, and I think I'm ready to do my own thing,'" Kirk shared with Business Insider. 

Because of this, Kirk and his six former co-workers at Google have banded together to start a design and development studio in New York and San Francisco. 

The team has given themselves before the end of March, or just before the 60-day layoff notification ends, to build their startup from the ground up and land projects.  

Kirk shared that he will take the role of general managing partner in his new company. "First off, the goal is to get some projects in so we can start paying our bills," he explained. 

The startup will be focused on helping other startups gather funding, businesses carry out engineering projects, and companies by providing them with design and research tools for their apps and websites. 

Aside from sharing his positive experience working at Google, Kirk also expressed his optimism working with his new team. "Since we have all worked together for so many years, we already know everyone's strengths," the startup owner shared.