Google 's chief financial officer Patrick Pichette has revealed that he is quitting his job to travel the world with his wife . Pichette , 52 , shared the decision , which he called a 'perfectly fine mid life crisis full of bliss and beauty ' , in a Google+ post on Tuesday afternoon . 'After nearly 7 years as CFO , I will be retiring from Google to spend more time with my family , ' he wrote - adding that he will only be leaving the company once they find a replacement . Canadian-born Pichette explained that the idea of retiring first came to him last September while he was watching the sunrise from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with his wife , Tamar . Scroll down for video . Stepping down : Patrick Pichette , Google's chief financial officer ( pictured in 2012 ) , has announced he is retiring after nearly seven years working for the company . He plans to travel the world with his wife , he said . 'And Tamar out of the blue said `` Hey , why do n't we just keep on going '' , ' he wrote . ' '' Let 's explore Africa , and then turn east to make our way to India , it 's just next door , and we 're here already . ' '' Then , we keep going ; the Himalayas , Everest , go to Bali , the Great Barrier Reef ... Antarctica , let 's go see Antarctica ! ? '' ' He told her : 'It 's not time yet , There is still so much to do at Google , with my career , so many people counting on me/us - Boards , Non Profits , etc , ' he wrote . 'But then she asked the killer question : So when is it going to be time ? Our time ? My time ? The questions just hung there in the cold morning African air . ' A few weeks later , I was happy back at work , but could not shake away THE question : When is it time for us to just keep going ? ' He explained that this is the right time to step down , as two of their children are away at college and the third is working for a start-up in Africa . Family : Pichette said it is time to retire because his three children are no longer living at home . He will also celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife ( center ) this year and said 'she deserves more ' Turning point : He first thought of retiring as he and his wife watched the sunset from Mount Kilimanjaro last year ( pictured with their guides ) and she said she wanted to keep traveling with him rather than go home . 'Nobody is waiting for us/needing us , ' he wrote . The couple will also celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this year . In that entire time , it has been 'non-stop work ' for him . 'She deserves more , ' he wrote . 'Lots more . ' Pichette explained that he would be staying with Google , where it has been a 'privilege ' to work , until the company finds a replacement and he will be remain there throughout the transition . He concluded : '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 . ' Pichette can afford to step down . Bloomberg Business reported that his salary is $ 650,000 . In 2012 , he was paid a $ 492,115 salary and a $ 2.7 million cash bonus , CNN Money reported . And in addition to his salary and bonuses , he earned in nearly $ 31 million from his Google stock incentives from 2010 to 2013 , the Associated Press reported . Adventurer : Pichette , who earned $ 31 million from his Google stock incentives alone between 2010 and 2013 , said he is no longer in the position where he has to choose between working and his family . Since Pichette joined the company in 2008 , the share price has more than doubled and Google has made some of its biggest acquisitions , including Motorola 's wireless business , which it bought for $ 9.8 billion , Bloomberg reported . He told the company he would be retiring on March 4 and it plans to find a new CFO within the next six months , Google said in a statement . CEO Larry Page also shared Pichette 's leaving notice on his own Google+ page . 'Well worth reading -- it will warm your heart , ' he wrote . 'Patrick has been a joy to work with and I wish him all the best on his new adventures ! ' Pichette was born in Montreal , attended the Université du Québec à Montréal and received an MA in Philosophy , Politics and Economics from Oxford . He worked for Bell Canada before Google . Property records show he lives with his wife in a $ 4 million , five-bedroom home in Palo Alto , California , just a few miles from Google 's headquarters in Mountain View . Announcement : Pichette wrote a lengthy post on his Google+ account explaining his decision on Tuesday .
Patrick Pichette , who joined Google in 2008 , revealed in a Google+ post that he is stepping down to spend more time with his family . The idea came to him when he was on Mount Kilimanjaro with his wife last year and she said she wanted to keep traveling rather than go home . The couple has five children who are all at college or working . Google 's share price has more than doubled during his tenure and he received $ 31m in stock incentives alone between 2010 and 2013 .