Google Ventures CEO Bill Maris Abandons Ship To Stir Creative Juices
Another high-level executive is leaving one of Alphabet's units that operate outside of the company's main Google search business. This time it's Bill Maris, founder and chief executive officer of Google Ventures (GV), the venture capital investment arm of Alphabet that provides seed, venture, and growth stage funding to "bold new companies."
Maris is the third high ranking executive to leave an Alphabet company in the past several months, which could be seen as an indicator transitioning to a new corporate structure isn't working out all that well. However, Maris said his decision was about wanting to spend more time with his infant son and wife.
"I have an 11-month-old son and a wife. And I legitimately want to spend more time with them," Maris told Recode in an interview. It's mission accomplished for me. Eight years is long than I though I would spend. GV is seen as a premier venture capital operation around the world. If it weren't in great shape, that would be the wrong time to leave. I'm leaving because everything is great."
He's also leaving because he needs "some quiet and some solitude and some time" to get his creative juices flowing. Maris estimates that a month or two away from the hustle and bustle will give him the time he needs to "incubate some ideas." He's not sure what will result from his creative process, but "you should definitely expect something from me. I'm not just going to go on the beach this week."
Apart from spending time with his family and coming up with new ideas, Maris stated he needed a break from the anxiety that came from keeping his phone on all the time for eight years. He felt that if he wasn't reachable, he was disappointing someone, a notion that comes with the territory of him being the ultimate decider on things at GV.
As for the changes at Alphabet, Maris is adamant that his departure has nothing to do with GV's parent company. He says the the change to Alphabet didn't have much impact on GV and that it's remained independent since the day it was founded.
Maris is the third high ranking executive to leave an Alphabet company in the past several months, which could be seen as an indicator transitioning to a new corporate structure isn't working out all that well. However, Maris said his decision was about wanting to spend more time with his infant son and wife.
"I have an 11-month-old son and a wife. And I legitimately want to spend more time with them," Maris told Recode in an interview. It's mission accomplished for me. Eight years is long than I though I would spend. GV is seen as a premier venture capital operation around the world. If it weren't in great shape, that would be the wrong time to leave. I'm leaving because everything is great."
He's also leaving because he needs "some quiet and some solitude and some time" to get his creative juices flowing. Maris estimates that a month or two away from the hustle and bustle will give him the time he needs to "incubate some ideas." He's not sure what will result from his creative process, but "you should definitely expect something from me. I'm not just going to go on the beach this week."
Apart from spending time with his family and coming up with new ideas, Maris stated he needed a break from the anxiety that came from keeping his phone on all the time for eight years. He felt that if he wasn't reachable, he was disappointing someone, a notion that comes with the territory of him being the ultimate decider on things at GV.
As for the changes at Alphabet, Maris is adamant that his departure has nothing to do with GV's parent company. He says the the change to Alphabet didn't have much impact on GV and that it's remained independent since the day it was founded.
