Lately, I’ve been getting this question a lot: “Why are you leaving Time Warner?”

Although it’s probably just a simple question, asked formulaically by protocol, with expectation of a simple set of answers (”I have decided to work for X company because of X reasons” or “I got a better offer from so-and-so”), in reality, the answer isn’t that simple. At least not for me.

For me, the question and ultimately the answer has to do with a broader range of issues, some with clear answers and others a bit more opaque. And to make things even more complicated, I am happy to acquiesce with battling sides of the equation (that doesn’t necessarily balance itself out) depending on the day and upon the weather conditions. Let’s review.

There are definite upsides to working for The Man (especially if “The Man” is Time Warner and you are given 20 days of vacation a year; thanks goes out to Wil Shipley, founder of Delicious Monster, for the first few bullets of this list):

1. You can often go home at night and stop worrying about your job; you aren’t on duty 24-7.
2. You don’t have to think up projects yourself and then sink or swim.
3. You get a paycheck whether your product sells or not; within limits.
4. You are paid fine, you can live comfortably, you get great benefits, and you get 20 days of vacation a year damnit.

There are downsides too (again, first few points from Wil):

1. Don’t get to pick your projects.
2. Don’t get to decide how to do them.
3. Don’t get to design the application.
4. You get paid essentially the same whether the product takes off or not; you’re never going to be a millionaire.
5. You don’t necessarily feel ownership of the product.

For me, those last few points are sticklers. I do want to pick my projects; I do want to decide how to do them; and most importantly, I do want to feel ownership of my product. After all, in the end, I think ownership of my product (knowing that I birthed something from my mind and my own two hands) is what impassions me, what makes me happy, and what will ultimately make me feel successful. To me, gambling the vacation days and comfortability in hopes of a trifecta is a good bet (especially since I think I have a good idea, which butters the odds).

My co-worker and friend recently gave me his slightly twisted but equally poignant point of view. He states, “you leaving and starting your own company is exactly what The Man wants you to do.” He argues that having a good person to do good research and development is a costly endeavor for companies (even as large as Time Warner); and good results are not guaranteed. He continues that a more cost-efficient way to operate is to frustrate the innovative employees, make them quit, and start their own businesses on their own ideas. Then, when their ideas are fully baked, risen, and restaurant-worthy, buy them back. In fact, large companies set aside a budget for acquisitions and often bullet the “growth” strategy in their business plan. I can see the limited wisdom in this.

But really, to truly answer the question of “Why are you leaving Time Warner?”, I think the answer lies more along the lines of something I read in Time Magazine: a viewpoint by Senator Barack Obama, in reference to Abe Lincoln:

“In his sheer energy, Lincoln captures a hunger in us to build and to innovate. It’s a quality that can get us in trouble; we may be blind at times to the costs of progress. And yet, when I travel to other parts of the world, I remember that it is precisely such energy that sets us apart, a sense that there are no limits to the heights our nation might reach.”

Answer: I am still hungry.