37-Year-Old Woman Quits Her $390,000 Google Job To Spend 'Retirement Time' With Partner
Poirel, who was a Senior Program Manager at Google’s Zurich office, walked away from her high-stress career 18 months ago to embrace what she calls a "mini-retirement."
For many, a job earning nearly $390,000 annually at a company like Google represents the peak of professional success. But for 37-year-old Florence Poirel, she has had enough of the corporate race.
Poirel, who was a Senior Program Manager at Google’s Zurich office, walked away from her high-stress career 18 months ago to embrace what she calls a "mini-retirement," prioritising time and experiences over climbing the corporate ladder. She spent $1.5 million saved and invested by early 2024.
Even 18 months later, she admits she hasn’t once felt bored. "I thought I would get bored very easily. But it’s been a year and a half, and I still haven’t had a moment of boredom,” she told CNBC Make It.
In her career break, Poirel spent time with friends and family, travelling, hiking, and embracing slow living. She provide career coaching to professionals and students, helping them navigate career transitions and prevent burnout, and learnt new skills and played with the latest AI technologies, as per her LinkedIn profile.
It was her relationship with her partner that changed her perspective. What began as a joke became serious the more they talked, Poirel tells CNBC Make It, "Wouldn’t it be great if we were retired? Why don’t we just do it? Why not just [take] that next step?"
Discovering FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)
Poirel achieved early retirement by embracing the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement, a strategy built on disciplined saving and strategic investing.
By 2024, Poirel realised that further career growth at Google no longer offered a worthwhile return. She said that more promotions meant more stress, late meetings, and responsibilities and she did not need that anymore financially.
Poirel and her partner maintain separate finances for independence, splitting household expenses proportionally: 35% for her and 65% for him. As of May 2025, Poirel's total monthly expenses totalled around $4,600 as per a report in Livemint.
While her biggest expense is rent, she describes her bright, lake-view apartment in Zurich as her "sanctuary." She keeps other costs low by shopping at discount stores and rarely dining out. A significant part of her leisure time is spent hiking in Switzerland’s natural landscape.
For Poirel, leaving Google wasn’t about rejecting success . According to a report in livemint, she said. "Walking away from the money wasn’t easy, but it gave me freedom."
