From Google Layoff to Startup Founder: A Career Pivot

For nearly six years, Waters served as a lead for the data analytics and AI sales specialist team within Google Public Sector. The abrupt nature of his layoff, delivered without notice while he was traveling for business, shattered his perception of corporate stability. When the company invited him back to a new team just weeks later, he faced a choice: reclaim the comfort of a high salary and unvested stock or finally pursue his long-held ambition of building a company.

He chose the latter. Leaving behind a stable life in Virginia, Waters relocated to San Francisco with only two suitcases and his computer equipment. He and a former colleague co-founded Kanawai AI, a platform focused on AI visibility and governance for enterprise clients. Operating without a salary and living off savings, Waters acknowledges the shift from corporate security to the volatility of a startup is a daunting transition, but he maintains that the experience gained at Google provides the necessary foundation to navigate the current pre-seed phase of his new business.