Google Co-Founder Advocates for 60-Hour Work Weeks

In a significant departure from current trends towards shorter work weeks and increased remote work, Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, has proposed that employees specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) should work a minimum of 60 hours each week. Furthermore, Brin insists that these employees should be present in the office from Monday to Friday.

Brin articulated his stance in a memo directed to the team working on the AI project known as Gemini, which was subsequently published in full by the technology news outlet The Verge. He emphasized that, based on his experiences, working around 60 hours weekly is the optimal range for productivity.

In the memo, Brin criticized employees who contribute only the bare minimum, labeling them as not only unproductive but also demoralizing to their colleagues. He highlighted the competitive landscape in AI development, suggesting that Google must secure a leading position in this vital sector.

This call for longer hours has drawn criticism from labor market experts. Laura Vanderkam, an author specializing in time management, expressed skepticism regarding the effectiveness of such extended work hours. She noted that few individuals can sustain high productivity over prolonged periods without significant downtime. While she acknowledges that 45 to 50 hours might be reasonable for intensive roles, she cautions against strict adherence to numerical work hour benchmarks, emphasizing that the timing of breakthroughs is unpredictable.

Moreover, John P. Trougakos, a management professor at the University of Toronto, advised that employers should prioritize how employees utilize their working hours, minimize interruptions, and leverage technology to enhance productivity, rather than focusing solely on the number of hours worked.

It is worth noting that German labor laws permit temporary workweeks of up to 60 hours, provided that employees receive compensatory time off within a designated six-month period and do not exceed an average of eight hours per day.