Google co-founder Sergey Brin has made a controversial request to the teams working on the company’s artificial intelligence projects. Brin asked employees to work at least 60 hours a week in order to remain competitive in the artificial intelligence development race.

New request from Google co-founder Sergey Brin to the AI team

In a note he sent to the team working on Gemini artificial intelligence models, Brin emphasized that long working hours are critical for Google to maintain its leadership in the sector. “I recommend that you be in the office every weekday,” Brin said, adding that 60 hours is the golden age of productivity.

This request actually means that Gemini team employees work 12 hours a day, excluding weekends. Criticizing some employees in the note, Brin stated that a small minority “work just enough” and are not only unproductive, but also demoralize other employees.

This directive does not apply to Google’s general workforce. Currently, Google employees are required to be in the office at least three days a week. Brin, who left Google’s chairmanship in 2019, is still a member of the board of directors. He also contributes to the company’s artificial intelligence development efforts.

Google is competing with rivals such as OpenAI, Meta, xAI and DeepSeek in the field of artificial intelligence. Brin’s demand for long working hours reveals the high risk of tech giants’ efforts to dominate the critical field.