An Indian‑origin UX designer based in Seattle has explained why he left a promising role at Amazon to join Google after interviewing at all five major tech firms in the United States.29-year-old Ganesh Karthik Sankar said he continued interviewing with other big tech companies even after starting at Amazon because he wanted to understand how different employers evaluated candidates and to find the best fit for his skills. His experience includes interviews with Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google, often referred to by job seekers as the MAANG companies, according to the Business Insider. Sankar worked at Amazon as a product designer from April 2025. He was initially “genuinely excited” about the role, as it offered the chance to work on large‑scale projects and came with a notable increase in compensation. Despite this, he kept other interview processes running even after he started the job.His decision to leave for Google came after the company offered him a UX designer position in February 2026. The new role was tightly aligned with his experience and included better compensation. He began his position at Google earlier this month.
How his job search unfolded
Sankar’s job search began in late 2024 while he was a senior UX designer at Qualcomm in San Diego. He said he wanted work with broader impact, particularly on projects that influenced millions of users. He also hoped to get a better salary.To prepare, he focused his resume and portfolio on his strengths in complex enterprise software design and technical developer tools. By narrowing his applications to roles that matched this niche, Sankar said he received a strong number of interview callbacks.His work on refining his application materials and target roles was a key part of his strategy. He concentrated on opportunities that aligned with his experience and avoided generic applications.
The role of networking and referrals
Sankar used both referrals and cold outreach to secure interviews. He stayed active in the design community, joining organisations, attending events and engaging with alumni networks. He also participated in specialised groups such as the Special Interest Group on Computer‑Human Interaction, where he made many professional connections.Referrals helped him secure interviews at Amazon, Google and Meta. At Amazon, he was referred for a product designer role in their enterprise customer service division. The process involved an online assessment followed by recruiter conversations and interviews with hiring managers.At Google, he similarly received a referral for a UX designer role, which also began with an online assessment and progressed through recruiter and portfolio discussions.He also gained an interview at Meta based on a referral. He understood that Meta placed a strong emphasis on visual design in its hiring process.
Cold applications and direct outreach
Not all his interviews came through referrals. At Apple, he did not have a referral and applied directly. A recruiter later reached out via email, leading to a full interview process.For Netflix, he also lacked a referral. After applying through LinkedIn, he followed up by emailing a hiring manager, which he said helped secure an interview.Sankar said that directly contacting hiring managers can be successful when done strategically, focusing on roles that align with one’s experience rather than sending mass messages.
Why he chose Google over Amazon
Even after starting at Amazon, Sankar continued interviewing with other companies so he could compare opportunities and evaluate what different employers valued.He explained that both Amazon and Google were more open to candidates with relevant but not exact backgrounds than some others. He said that at Apple and Netflix, employers seemed to look for candidates whose experience was extremely closely matched to the role.Eventually, the offer from Google stood out. It matched his specific domain expertise and came with a meaningful increase in compensation, leading him to make the move.Sankar said that being intentional about the roles he targeted was more important than relying solely on referrals. He also encouraged job seekers to consider cold outreach when appropriate, especially when it is tailored to hiring managers in areas where the candidate has strong expertise.
