Sergey Brin is pressing Google employees to treat the AI race as an all-in moment. In an internal memo seen by The New York Times, the Google co-founder argued that AGI is within reach and that Googlers should work longer hours, spend more time in the office, and make heavier use of Gemini tools.
Brin’s message to Googlers
Brin co-founded Google in the 1990s with Larry Page. Both stepped away from day-to-day work at Google in 2019, but the AI boom has drawn Brin back into the office.
His memo pushes employees toward a more intense working pattern. Brin advised staff to be in the office every weekday and to try working 60 hours per week in support of Google’s AI efforts.
That schedule works out to 12 hours per day, Monday through Friday. Brin described that level as the “sweet spot of productivity.”
The message is not only about time. Brin also argued that Google’s own AI tools should be used as much as possible. In his view, Gemini can help employees work more efficiently while the company pursues artificial general intelligence.
What AGI means in this context
The source describes AGI as a kind of thinking machine that would stand well above today’s AI models. Current models can appear to think, but they do not meet the same bar described for AGI.
An AGI, as presented in the source, would understand concepts and think more like a human being. Some would argue that such a system could be considered a conscious entity.
Brin is not alone in believing that this kind of advance may be near. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also claimed OpenAI could be just a few years away from true artificial intelligence. Google’s official blog posts have also mentioned AGI as a goal on several occasions.
Still, the source makes clear that the path is uncertain. No one knows whether adding more GPUs and building ever-larger models will actually produce AGI. That uncertainty sits at the center of the debate around Google’s AI push.
Why Google feels pressure in AI
Google has a deep claim to the technology behind modern generative AI. Its 2017 research paper, titled Attention Is All You Need, introduced the transformer architecture that still powers large language models.
Even so, Google did not turn that foundation into mass-market momentum before rivals moved. OpenAI and Microsoft brought AI-powered tools to broad audiences, and Google was left responding quickly.
The hurried launch of Bard AI in early 2023 went badly, according to the source. Since then, Google has been trying to catch up while adding generative AI across its products.
That helps explain why Brin’s memo carries weight. His argument is not just that employees should be present in the office. It is that Google has the talent, the technical base, and the incentive to move faster in artificial intelligence.
The office policy has not changed
Brin and Page handed leadership to current CEO Sundar Pichai in 2015. Because of that, Brin’s memo does not automatically mean Google is changing formal workplace rules.
Google currently uses a hybrid model. Workers are expected to be in the office three days per week.
After being asked whether the company plans to reassess that policy, a Google representative said there are no planned changes to the return-to-office mandate.
That creates a clear distinction between Brin’s advice and company policy. Brin is encouraging a five-day office week and 60-hour schedule, but Google says its official hybrid requirement remains unchanged.
The business stakes behind Gemini
Google has been spending heavily on AI data centers to train and run Gemini models. The company has also made many Gemini models available for free.
Even more computationally intensive tools, such as Gemini Pro Deep Research, are available for $20 per month. OpenAI, by contrast, has a $200-per-month Pro subscription, and Sam Altman has admitted that OpenAI still loses money on that most expensive plan.
The source suggests that Google may be willing to lose money on AI to gain market share. That makes Brin’s emphasis on speed and efficiency easier to understand.
For Google, the AGI push is about research, products, computing infrastructure, and workplace culture at the same time. Brin’s memo brings those threads together: more office time, longer weeks, stronger use of Gemini, and a belief that Google is well positioned to make the next major AI breakthrough.