Google CFO Pichette to Retire, 'Grab Our Backpacks and Hit the Road'

Patrick Pichette, Google’s (GOOG) highly visible chief financial officer, informed the company last week of his intention to retire, the search giant disclosed in an SEC 8-K filing dated March 4, 2015.

Google said in the filing that Pichette has yet to decide his exact retirement date and will help the company locate his successor and assist in the transition period. He has served as Google’s CFO for the past seven years.

“On March 4, 2015, Google Inc.’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Patrick Pichette, informed the company of his intent to retire,” Google wrote in the filing. “The effective date of his retirement has not yet been determined. Patrick indicated that he intends to assist in the search for a new CFO and ensure an orderly transition, which the company expects will occur within the next six months.”

Replacing Pichette will be no easy task for Google. Not only is he one of only five executive officers at Google along with co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, executive chairman Eric Schmidt and chief legal officer David Drummond, but he also holds a key role on the company’s leadership team.

Pichette confirmed his impending retirement on Google+, writing, “After nearly 7 years as CFO, I will be retiring from Google to spend more time with my family. Yeah, I know you’ve heard that line before. We give a lot to our jobs. I certainly did. And while I am not looking for sympathy, I want to share my thought process because so many people struggle to strike the right balance between work and personal life.”

Pichette went on to say that after “25-30 years of nearly non-stop work,” he could no longer resist the urge with his wife to “grab our backpacks and hit the road—celebrate our last 25 years together by turning the page and enjoy a perfectly fine mid life crisis full of bliss and beauty, and leave the door open to serendipity for our next leadership opportunities, once our long list of travels and adventures is exhausted.”

In calling working at Google a “privilege, nothing less,” Pichette said, “In the end, life is wonderful, but nonetheless a series of trade offs, especially between business/professional endeavours and family/community. And thankfully, I feel I’m at a point in my life where I no longer have to have to make such tough choices anymore. And for that I am truly grateful. Carpe Diem.”

Instructive words, to say the least.