WebProNews

Google’s already worried that many of its oldest employees could bail - once those stock options mature, some Googlers will never need to work again.  But now, in a move sure to make the search engine giant queasy, a couple of relative young ‘uns have jumped ship.

Bret Taylor and Jim Norris swam over to “well-known venture capital firm Benchmark Capital,” according to VentureBeat’s Matt Marshall, which is certainly better (from Google’s point of view) than if they’d sought jobs at Yahoo, Microsoft, or Ask.  Yet the pair are “two of the masterminds behind Google Maps and several other Google products,” Marshall notes, and “have joined the firm as ‘Entrepreneurs in Residence.’”

This seems to mean that Taylor and Norris already have a great idea - one that they didn’t care to share with Google.  But what more, you have to wonder, could Taylor and Norris want?  Free food, dogs at work . . . we’re all familiar with Google’s perks.

“[T]hey said the move to Benchmark is really about the experience the firm offers,” reports Marshall.  “While the pair are confident in their ability to build their idea, they want help learning what it takes to run a business.”

And here’s an interesting tidbit: “It’s not about the money,” Norris told VentureBeat.  Although if it were about the money, I suppose it wouldn’t be polite to say so.

In any event, this development comes as a surprise; we’re much more used to hearing about resumes pouring into Google than people coming out.  Hat tip to Elinor Mills.