Google co-founder Sergey Brin tells employees: ‘Work 60 hours-a-week to win…but’

co-founder Sergey Brin has emphasized the urgency of the race for artificial general intelligence (AGI), urging employees working on the company’s Gemini AI models to adopt 60-hour workweeks and maintain a daily office presence, according to a report.
Citing an internal memo, The New York Times reports that Brin told the staff that Google can lead the industry in achieving AGI, a milestone where machines surpass human intelligence, if employees worked harder.
“I recommend being in the office at least every weekday,” he wrote in a memo posted internally this week, adding that “60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity”, warning that working more than 60 hours a week may lead to burnout.
He expressed concern about employees working less than that, or doing the bare minimum, stating that such behavior is “not only unproductive but also can be highly demoralizing to everyone else.”
Brin’s call for increased work hours aligns with a broader trend of companies reversing hybrid work policies to boost productivity.

Brin’s directive comes amidst a surge in AI development sparked by the 2022 launch of ChatGPT, which has intensified competition in Silicon Valley. While the memo does not officially alter Google's existing return-to-office policy, requiring three days of in-person work, it underscores Brin’s conviction that AGI is within reach, provided employees “turbocharge” their efforts.
“Competition has accelerated immensely and the final race to A.G.I. is afoot,” he wrote.
“I think we have all the ingredients to win this race, but we are going to have to turbocharge our efforts,” Brin added.
He emphasized the need to use Google's own AI for coding, suggesting that using AI to improve itself is key to reaching artificial general intelligence (AGI). Brin urged Gemini team members to become "the most efficient coders and AI scientists in the world by using our own AI".