Seven former employees of Google, who were laid off as part of the company’s cost-cutting move, have joined forces to form a new design and development studio in New York and San Francisco.

Henry Kirk, a senior manager who worked for the search giant for eight years before he was let go, spearheaded the initiative.

Kirk took to LinkedIn to share his story and announced his intention to establish the company before the 60-day timeframe for layoff notification ends in March.

Kirk stated that six ex-Google employees would join him in the venture, which aims to offer design and research tools for other companies’ apps and websites, engineering projects for organizations without the required knowledge, and assistance in growing and obtaining finance for startups. The new company intends to quickly research, design, and develop software projects from the simplest to the most ambitious.

“I have always believed that hard work and results will get you far. While this event may place doubt in that belief, it is my experience that these life challenges present unique opportunities,” Kirk said in a LinkedIn post.

“Today, I am leaping forward and turning this tragedy into an opportunity. I am teaming up with six outstanding ex-Googlers to shape and own our futures. Yeah, it is probably the worst time ever to do this. Nevertheless, that is the exciting and challenging part.”

Kirk and his team have given themselves six weeks to set up the studio and get it running.

Despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses, Kirk is optimistic about the future of the new venture.