So as several longtime googlers leave the company, a selfish question occurred to me. Do I become less valuable to Google once my friends leave?

As a 4+yr Googler I assume that some of my ability to accomplish my job comes from knowing who to call and having their trust. People open my emails, prioritize my requests appropriately and give me resources. These are important qualities in a large company. As these folks leave and I’m more of an unknown to new hires, does my ability to grease the skids decrease? Do i need to start relying on my title more than my relationships? Certainly I feel this already in some areas – especially since I’m at YouTube fulltime and don’t have the time to rebuild all of my Mountain View relationships.

The other side of the coin would be that as some longtime Googlers leave, the folks who hold the history and knowledge of the company become increasingly valuable because they’re fewer of us and we tend to be in increasingly senior roles.

[for clarity: this is a thought exercise and not a calculation i run through my head when someone tells me they’re leaving or i look at my other longtime colleagues]