Use sales customer access for research, ship product-shaped work in the sales job, and treat each “no” as a resume iteration.
Why they moved
Wanted a product role; sales already showed user pain but the title was not PM.
How they moved
Built two bilingual markets on B2B platforms while still in sales, and learned SQL, Python, and JavaScript.
Pouliot treated a long PM application pipeline like product iteration: every rejection rewrote the resume. While still in SaaS sales he learned SQL, Python, and JavaScript, ran user interviews, and took on product work at the sales job by launching two bilingual B2B markets. In October 2023 he wrote that he had accepted and started a product-manager role.
Outcome
Accepted and started a product-manager role the week of 3 October 2023.
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Transferable skill
Front-line user empathy from sales plus prototypes and user research.
1.3 years as an IBM IT consultant · IBM consulting then Microsoft PM II offer transition · Self taught
Consulting that implements other companies’ software is a path into building the software, not a dead end.
Why they left
Consultants learned a client’s pain and implemented a vendor product, then left without owning what got built.
Why they moved
She wanted to decide how the product itself was built.
How they moved
Left IBM IT consulting after 1.3 years and interviewed into Microsoft product/program management.
Nguyen spent 1.3 years as an IT consultant at IBM implementing enterprise products such as Salesforce, SAP, Workday, and SuccessFactors. Consultants diagnosed a client’s pain and rolled out someone else’s product, then left. She wanted to decide how the product itself was built. In January 2022 she wrote that she had landed Microsoft Program Manager II on Teams.
Outcome
Joined Microsoft as Program Manager II on Teams.
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Transferable skill
Reading a company’s strategy and pain, then mapping it onto a digital solution.
Software Engineer, Meta (Toronto)→3 years later→Returned to Meta as Senior Software Engineer
About 3 years around Meta, a startup, and Amazon · ~3 years after the layoff transition · Career break
A layoff need not close the door; he returned to write models, not just tune them.
Why they left
Meta laid him off after about four and a half months in Toronto.
Why they moved
He wanted to build foundational AI models himself, not only implement and fine-tune them at Amazon.
How they moved
Took a Meta recruiter’s rehire outreach three years later and compared it with other AI offers.
Sharma joined Meta in Toronto in 2022, was laid off after about 4.5 months, then worked at a startup and Amazon. A Meta recruiter brought him back as a senior AI engineer in Menlo Park; he chose Meta over other AI offers to write foundation models rather than only fine-tune them.
Outcome
Rejoined Meta in Menlo Park as a senior software engineer on AI models.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Meta, Amazon, AI.
Principal Engineer, Amazon→4 years later→Returned to Amazon as Senior Principal Engineer
11+ years at Amazon then 4 at Google · ~4 years at Google transition · Career break
Leave to learn what you actually miss; he came back for Amazon’s bar and intensity.
Why they left
He was restless by 2019 and wanted to break inertia by joining an entirely different culture.
Why they moved
He wanted Leadership Principles, a high writing bar, and Amazonian urgency back in his work.
How they moved
Rejoined Amazon in 2024 after four years as a senior staff engineer at Google.
Arguelles left Amazon in 2020 after 11-plus years, restless and wanting a different culture at Google. After four years he boomeranged back, saying he missed Leadership Principles, Amazon’s writing bar, and the intensity he had taken for granted.
Outcome
Returned as a senior principal engineer, knowing the messy parts and still choosing Amazon as home.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Amazon, Google, principal engineer.
Engineer, Replit→1.5 years later→Returned to Replit as software engineer (IC)
About 3 years including the first Replit stint · ~15 months away transition · Career break
If the leave thesis was wrong, going back as an IC can be the correction.
Why they left
He thought Replit would fail or take a ten-year slog, and the Remi manager seat did not fit.
Why they moved
He wanted to build large-scale systems again once Replit’s path looked like a real SaaS giant.
How they moved
Came back on October 29, 2025, almost four years after his first Replit start date.
Bergeson left Replit thinking the company might fail or take a decade to matter, then managed engineering at Remi. About 15 months later he returned as an IC on distributed systems, saying his reasons for leaving had been wrong.
Outcome
Returned to the team he left, happiest as an IC rather than an engineering manager.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Replit, IC, distributed systems.
Software Engineer, Microsoft Azure Firewall→2 years later→Returned to Microsoft as Software Engineer
3 years at Microsoft before the smaller-company stint · ~2 years at a smaller company transition · Career break
A smaller company can teach you that you missed the people and culture, not the logo.
Why they left
After three years she wanted to see what the tech world outside Microsoft looked like.
Why they moved
She missed managers who challenged her and Microsoft’s people and culture.
How they moved
Told former manager Murali Sangubhatla she was open to returning; he placed her on a sister team.
Leong left Microsoft after three years to see tech outside a big company. After two years elsewhere she missed managers who pushed her and Microsoft’s culture, and a former teammate brought her onto a sister Azure team.
Outcome
Rejoined Microsoft on an Azure sister team after about two years away.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Microsoft, Azure, culture.
Engineer, Microsoft (~13 years)→7 years later→Returned to Microsoft as Partner Director of Engineering
13 years at Microsoft before leaving in 2009 · ~7 years away transition · Career break
A culture change plus old colleagues can make a burned-out exit reversible.
Why they left
He was burned out by Microsoft’s culture and breakneck product-launch pace.
Why they moved
Former colleagues described a reinvigorated Microsoft under Satya Nadella.
How they moved
Took vetting conversations after late-2016 emails and joined as partner director of engineering in January 2017.
Lester left Microsoft at the end of 2009 burned out by the culture and launch pace, later standing up Qualcomm’s Redmond engineering center. Former colleagues pulled him back in 2017 to lead mixed-reality and HoloLens engineering under Nadella’s culture shift.
Outcome
Returned to lead mixed-reality and HoloLens engineering groups.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Microsoft, HoloLens, engineering director.
Development Lead, SQL Server, Microsoft→12 years later→Returned to Microsoft on 3D and AR engineering
Left 2005, returned March 2017 transition · Career break
Come back when the company’s product inflection matches the work you want to shape.
Why they left
By 2005 Microsoft felt like it was treading water and still had no foothold in mobile or social.
Why they moved
He wanted to help shape an early 3D and augmented-reality space after Surface, Azure, and HoloLens.
How they moved
Returned in March 2017 to work on 3D and AR technology.
Sundaresan left Microsoft’s SQL Server team in 2005, watching the company tread water while he worked at Amazon, Yahoo, and Roku. Surface, Azure, and HoloLens changed his view; he came back in 2017 to help shape 3D and augmented-reality work.
Outcome
Rejoined Microsoft after Amazon, Yahoo, and Roku to work on emerging 3D/AR products.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Microsoft, SQL Server, AR.
Google researcher (LaMDA)→3 years later→Returned to Google DeepMind research
Long Google research tenure before Character.AI · Left Oct 2021, returned Aug 2024 transition · Career break
A blocked chatbot bet became a startup, then a negotiated path back into DeepMind.
Why they left
He left in October 2021 to found Character.AI after Google would not ship the chatbot work.
Why they moved
He wanted to return to Google DeepMind’s research team after the licensing deal.
How they moved
Rejoined DeepMind in August 2024 with Character.AI colleagues under a non-exclusive LLM license.
Shazeer left Google in October 2021 to found Character.AI after the company would not ship his chatbot work. In August 2024 he returned to Google DeepMind under a Character.AI licensing deal, saying he was excited to work on the DeepMind research team.
Outcome
Back at Google as a DeepMind researcher after three years as Character.AI CEO.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Google, DeepMind, Character.AI.
Google engineer (Meena / LaMDA)→3 years later→Returned to Google DeepMind
Left 2021, returned Aug 2024 transition · Career break
The co-founder who left over chatbot pace came back with the research team in the deal.
Why they left
Google rebuffed attempts to push a chatbot forward, and the founders left in 2021.
Why they moved
The Character.AI–Google licensing partnership brought him onto the DeepMind team.
How they moved
Joined DeepMind in August 2024 with Shazeer and a small research contingent.
De Freitas left Google in 2021 with Noam Shazeer after the company rebuffed pushing a chatbot forward, co-founding Character.AI. He rejoined Google DeepMind in August 2024 as part of the same licensing and talent deal.
Outcome
Returned to Google’s AI unit after co-founding Character.AI.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Google, DeepMind, Character.AI.
Principal Engineer, Amazon→6 months later→Returned to Amazon as Principal Engineer, Operations and Robotics
About 5 years at Amazon before Zwift · ~6 months at Zwift transition · Career break
A six-month detour can be enough to learn the other culture is not a long-term fit.
Why they left
A Zwift recruiter piqued his interest and he left Amazon after lots of deliberation.
Why they moved
Zwift was not a good long-term personal fit; Amazon’s culture lured him back.
How they moved
Rejoined Amazon on June 8, 2022 as a principal engineer in operations and robotics.
Waits left Amazon in November 2021 for a Distinguished Engineer role at Zwift after a recruiter piqued his interest. Zwift was not a long-term personal fit; he came back in June 2022, citing comfort with and admiration for Amazon’s culture.
Outcome
Back at Amazon about six months after leaving for Zwift.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Amazon, Zwift, principal engineer.
Research scientist, Google DeepMind→1.5 years later→Returned to Google DeepMind as Senior Staff Research Scientist
~1.5 years at Reka transition · Career break
A startup chapter can clarify that you still identify as a scientist, not a founder.
Why they left
He left to explore the startup world by co-founding Reka.
Why they moved
He still identified more as a scientist and wanted to return to his research roots.
How they moved
Rejoined DeepMind reporting to Quoc Le after about 1.5 years away.
Tay left Google DeepMind to co-found Reka and explore the startup world. About a year and a half later he returned as a senior staff research scientist reporting to Quoc Le, saying he still identifies more as a scientist than a founder.
Outcome
Back at Google DeepMind as a senior staff research scientist.
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Transferable skill
Report ties the change to themes like Google, DeepMind, Reka.