Google co-founder wants employees to work 60 hours a week in office
www.ctvnews.ca
Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, claims that a 60-hour workweek is the “sweet spot” for productivity in a recent memo sent to employees.

In the note, shared internally and viewed by the New York Times, Brin urges staff working on Google’s Gemini AI projects to put in long hours to help the company lead the race in artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Some have praised Brin’s commitment to pushing the company’s success, but others argue that his approach reflects an outdated and harmful mindset.

“The hustle-centric 60-hour week isn’t productivity—it’s burnout waiting to happen,” wrote workplace mental health educator Catherine Eadie in a post shared by LinkedIn’s news editors.

Others said they feel that hard work is essential for success, with a COO of a business analytics business writing, “Brin is just being honest—successful people have always put in long hours."

  • boonhet@lemm.ee
    1·
    9 hours ago

    I can live in any part of my country with what I’m paid, just as long as I don’t try to rent or buy a gigantic penthouse apartment or mansion. That’s while my wife stays home, too. No, I’m not super highly paid, I just live in a not particularly dense country and have a good career.

    The world you’re proposing would not allow me such freedom. Like I said, if employers get to decide our commutes, the simple luxury of walking to and from work are gone because it’s an inefficient use of company time. I want this to be my time, not company time. Hell, managing my own time is why I started working B2B instead of full time so the commute doesn’t apply to me anymore, but if I ever have to work directly for someone else again, I’m not willing to let anyone tell me which neighborhood my family needs to move to in order for me to get the job, or how I must arrive at work.

    I get that for you all that matters is borg-like efficiency, but some people value individual humans and their rights too.

    • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
      1·
      5 hours ago

      Most of us don’t have careers like that, surely you realize this? We live where we can afford, our individual rights don’t really matter.

      You actually do raise a good point that this would disincentivize walking, biking, and public transportation. The boss would demand the fastest possible commute i.e. driving. Not good!

      Paying people a standard rate based on the optimal estimated commute would address that issue, but that’s not exactly fair to people that can’t drive and that still leaves motorists being underpaid for traffic jams and the like. It’s better than just forcing workers to bare 100% of the cost and be uncompensated for their time.

      Also the Borg made a lot of good points.