How much work time is too much work time? A question that never gets old was addressed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin when he told his employees to work 60 hours a week for maximum efficiency.
According to an internal memo seen by The New York Times, Brin told employees working on the company’s Gemini AI products that “60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity.”
The memo came after Google was left behind in the race for AI dominance after the rise of ChatGPT and the broader generative AI boom. Brin reportedly argued that Google could still lead the race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI) if workers increased their efforts and collaborated more closely in person.
According to The New York Times, Brin wrote in the memo, “I recommend being in the office at least every weekday.” He also told staff that “60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity.”
Billionaire and Google co-founder Sergey Brin whose net worth is $287.2 billion tells workers they should be working 60 hours a week.
You don’t hate the billionaire class enough. pic.twitter.com/AAJDJ75kjv
— Power to the People ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) May 25, 2026
Brin reportedly framed the longer workweeks as “necessary” for Google to stay ahead of rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft & Meta. He wrote in the memo:
“Competition has accelerated immensely, and the final race to AGI is afoot. I think we have all the ingredients to win this race, but we are going to have to turbocharge our efforts.”
AGI is when AI is as smart as humans.
According to Fortune, Brin also urged Google employees to rely more heavily on Google’s own AI tools to improve coding productivity. He told Gemini staff in particular to become “the most efficient coders and A.I. scientists in the world by using our own A.I.”
Brin’s remark left a deep impact as discussions about workplace expectations, work-life balance, and the growing pressure of the AI race began. Some users criticized the comments as unrealistic, as employees balancing family obligations or long commutes could struggle with such expectations. Additionally, they cited burnout concerns.
One user wrote on X:
“The billionaires only see the offices as labs, and the workers as the lab rats. They have no regard for the negative health consequences that the employees will suffer from this, only that they can get their work done faster.”
Another two added:
“I thought we were supposed to work less with AI?”
In my opinion: The fact that we work until we die-solely for the privilege of being alive—is madness. pic.twitter.com/eOwTdoFrBK
— YOKI_SLV (@YOKI_SLV) May 25, 2026
“60 hours? 7 days at 8 hours is not even 60. working 60 hours a week is not living. There is no way you can take care of yourself while doing that. Do you do it for a month and then take a week off? WTF”
Employees work like dogs to make Sergey Brin even richer.
— John Bliss (@johnblissnow) May 25, 2026
Interestingly, Brin argued that working over 60 hours a week could increase burnout and reduce creativity. He also critiqued workers for not working “enough” and said:
“A number of folks work less than 60 hours, and a small number put in the bare minimum to get by. This last group is not only unproductive but also can be highly demoralizing to everyone else.”
