Google Engineer Quits Over Side Hustle: The Rising Clash Between Moonlighting and Corporate Policy

Side hustle ends a Google career: Why this Bengaluru engineer was forced to quit

Imagine building a successful career at one of the world’s most prestigious tech companies—only to walk away because you dared to teach coding on weekends. That’s exactly what happened to Arpit Bhayani, a Bengaluru-based software engineer at Google, whose quiet educational side hustle ultimately cost him his job.

Bhayani’s resignation isn’t just a personal story—it’s a lightning rod for a much larger conflict brewing across India’s booming tech sector. As millions embrace freelancing, content creation, and passion projects outside their 9-to-5 roles, companies like Google are doubling down on strict moonlighting bans. The result? A growing chasm between employer expectations and employee aspirations in the post-pandemic work era.

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What Happened to Google Engineer Arpit Bhayani?

Arpit Bhayani wasn’t running a rival startup or leaking confidential data. His side hustle was simple: he created free and paid educational content on algorithms and system design through YouTube, blogs, and workshops—aimed at helping students crack tech interviews .

For years, this parallel career flourished quietly alongside his Google role. But in late 2025, internal compliance systems flagged his public activity. Despite clarifying that his work was non-commercial, non-competing, and done entirely outside office hours, Bhayani was told it violated Google’s strict policy against “outside professional engagements” without explicit approval.

Faced with disciplinary action or resignation, he chose to leave—a decision that went viral on LinkedIn and Twitter, igniting fierce debate about autonomy, creativity, and outdated workplace norms.

The Rise of the Indian Tech Side Hustle

Bhayani’s story resonates because it’s increasingly common. A 2025 report by [INTERNAL_LINK:gig-economy-india-trends] found that over 62% of Indian tech professionals engage in some form of side income—whether tutoring, consulting, app development, or content creation.

Drivers behind this trend include:

  • Economic uncertainty: With layoffs in Big Tech, diversifying income feels like financial insurance.
  • Creative fulfillment: Many engineers crave impact beyond Jira tickets and sprint reviews.
  • Digital empowerment: Platforms like YouTube, Udemy, and GitHub make it easy to monetize expertise.
  • Pandemic legacy: Remote work blurred the lines between personal and professional time, normalizing flexible schedules.

Yet, most employment contracts—especially at MNCs—still operate under pre-digital assumptions that equate loyalty with exclusivity.

Why Companies Like Google Ban Moonlighting

From a corporate standpoint, the concerns aren’t entirely baseless. Companies cite several legitimate risks:

  1. Conflict of interest: An employee consulting for a competitor (even unknowingly) could leak IP.
  2. Productivity drain: Burnout from overwork might affect core job performance.
  3. Brand risk: Public statements by employees can be misconstrued as company positions.
  4. Legal liability: If a side project causes harm, the parent company could face indirect liability.

Google’s internal policy requires employees to seek pre-approval for any “professional activity outside Google”—a rule enforced more strictly in India and the U.S. than in some European offices, according to former staff.

Employee Perspective: Freedom vs. Loyalty

But many argue these policies are applied too broadly. “Teaching Dijkstra’s algorithm isn’t stealing trade secrets,” said one anonymous senior engineer at a FAANG company. “Punishing educators sends the wrong message.”

Employees like Bhayani see their side hustle as additive—not competitive. His content helped thousands land tech jobs, indirectly strengthening the talent pool Google itself recruits from. Critics say companies benefit from this ecosystem while denying individuals the right to participate in it.

This tension reflects a deeper philosophical divide: is an employee a full-time asset to be controlled, or a whole human being with multifaceted talents?

Is the Side Hustle Here to Stay?

Absolutely. The gig economy isn’t slowing down. According to the World Bank, India’s freelance workforce is projected to reach 23.5 million by 2027—up from 15 million in 2022 .

Forward-thinking companies are adapting. Some startups now offer “creator-friendly” clauses allowing educational or open-source work. Others provide innovation time—like Google’s old “20% time” policy—that legally channels side energy into company-aligned projects.

The question isn’t whether side hustles exist—it’s whether corporations will evolve to accommodate them responsibly.

What Should Tech Professionals Do?

If you’re considering a side hustle, tread carefully:

  • ✅ Read your employment contract—look for clauses on “outside activities,” “confidentiality,” and “IP ownership.”
  • ✅ Disclose early: Seek written approval for non-competing work, even if it feels unnecessary.
  • ❌ Avoid using company resources—including laptops, code, or internal data—for personal projects.
  • ✅ Focus on education or open-source: These are least likely to be seen as competitive.

Transparency is your best shield. As one HR head told us: “We don’t fear side gigs—we fear secrecy.”

Conclusion: A New Social Contract at Work

Arpit Bhayani’s departure from Google over a benign side hustle symbolizes a turning point. The old model—where employees traded total exclusivity for job security—is crumbling. In its place, a new social contract must emerge: one that balances corporate protection with individual freedom, recognizing that today’s knowledge workers thrive not in silos, but in ecosystems.

Companies that adapt will attract top talent. Those that don’t may find themselves losing their best people—not to competitors, but to their own rigid rules.

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