Google co-founder Sergey Brin is reportedly urging employees working on artificial intelligence to dedicate at least 60 hours per week in the office. The move comes as the search giant faces escalating competition in the AI space from rivals such as OpenAI, Meta, Elon Musk’s xAI, and the China-based DeepSeek.
Brin, whose net worth is estimated at $144 billion, communicated his expectations to AI workers via an internal memo. He emphasized the need for longer hours to ensure Google’s success in developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) — AI that matches or surpasses human-level intelligence. “I recommend being in the office at least every weekday,” Brin stated in the memo, which was first reported by the New York Times.
The memo, sent to employees focused on Google’s Gemini AI models, also noted Brin’s belief that “60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity.” This would translate to 12-hour workdays for those involved with Gemini before the weekend.
In the same memo, Brin also expressed concern about the contributions of certain Google employees. “A number of folks work less than 60 hours and a small number put in the bare minimum to get by,” he wrote. “This last group is not only unproductive but also can be highly demoralizing to everyone else.” However, the memo’s directives do not extend to all Google employees, who are currently required to be in the office at least three days a week, according to reports.
Brin, who stepped down as Google’s president in December 2019, remains on the board of directors and continues to be actively involved in AI development. The billionaire was also a “core contributor” on the initial white paper for Google Gemini.
Google is among several tech giants vying to develop AGI, chatbots, and other AI-driven products. Competitors like OpenAI and Grok have recently released significant updates to their respective chatbots. Moreover, DeepSeek, a company based in China, caused a stir when it announced an AI model trained for less than $6 million, leading to a $1 trillion selloff in US markets.
Heightened competition has led to increased pressure from top tech executives for better results. For example, Meta recently laid off around 4,000 employees, equating to 5% of its workforce, after identifying “low performers.” Similarly, Mark Zuckerberg indicated that he expects an “intense year” within the industry, reflecting the current climate in the AI sector.
