Google co-founder Sergey Brin is urging employees to work 60 hours a week to help the company stay ahead in the AI race. In an internal memo reported by The New York Times, Brin stressed the need for extra effort as competition from OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s AI advances heats up. With a personal fortune of $144 billion, Brin believes Google has what it takes to lead in artificial general intelligence (AGI)—but only if employees step up their productivity.
The memo, directed at the team behind Gemini (Google’s AI models and applications), described 60 hours a week as the “sweet spot of productivity.” Brin also pushed for a full return to office work, urging employees to come in “at least every weekday.” He argued that in-person collaboration is crucial for keeping up with fast-moving AI developments. “The race to AGI is on, and competition is tougher than ever,” he wrote.
Brin isn’t just asking for more hours—he’s also encouraging employees to work smarter. He urged Google’s engineers to use the company’s AI tools to make their coding more efficient, saying they should aim to be “the most efficient coders and AI scientists in the world.” This aligns with Google’s goal of reclaiming its leadership in AI, a field where it dominated until ChatGPT’s launch in 2022 shifted the landscape. ChatGPT quickly gained over 100 million users, impressing many while also revealing its limitations.
Brin’s push comes as other tech leaders also call for longer workweeks. In 2023, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy suggested a 70-hour workweek, and in January 2025, L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan took it even further, proposing a 90-hour workweek. Critics argue that such demands are more about cutting costs than boosting innovation, but Brin insists his proposal is about securing Google’s future in AI, not just squeezing more out of employees.
With Google under pressure to reclaim its dominance, Brin remains optimistic. “We have everything we need to win this race, but we must accelerate our efforts,” he said. However, his call for longer hours and a strict return to the office may spark debates about work-life balance, as employees weigh career ambitions against personal time.
As of March 3, 2025, the tech industry is watching closely. Will Brin’s push help Google take the lead in AI, or will the competition demand even more? One thing is clear: Brin believes success requires dedication, innovation, and plenty of extra hours.
