Google’s Sergey Brin Says Engineers Should Work 60-Hour Weeks in Office to Build AI That Could Replace Them

[Nithavela]

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has told engineers at the tech giant that they should return to the office five days a week to help improve AI models that could ultimately replicate their work.


The reclusive 51-year old billionaire himself started returning to Mountain View following the launch of ChatGPT, which left Google on its back foot and raised concerns the company had fallen behind in a nascent field that had been developed within its own walls but was commercialized by OpenAI.


Brin—who is worth an estimated $144 billion and still owns a single-digit percent of Google shares—is trying to instill more urgency amongst employees, telling other Googlers working on AI that they must pick up the pace if they are going to win against the likes of OpenAI and Microsoft.

Google’s Sergey Brin Says Engineers Should Work 60-Hour Weeks in Office to Build AI That Could Replace Them

The Google co-founder says 60-hours a week is the productivity sweet spot for AI engineers.

gizmodo.com

We are a species that, when faced with a chasm, sprints towards it in the vain hope that some of us will be able to leap across.

 

[Paulos23]

There is a reason I didn't work for Microsoft when I left college, companies like that like to wring you dry of energy and then ask for more. That is exactly what he is asking for here.

I don't have anything against people who love their work and end up working 60-hour weeks, but to expect everyone to do that and expect them to be productive for all of that? People don't work that way. If you keep them working for 60+ hours they will goof off and break down from the stress.

If I was an employee there I would be moving on.

 

[Nithavela]

There is a reason I didn't work for Microsoft when I left college, companies like that like to wring you dry of energy and then ask for more. That is exactly what he is asking for here.

I don't have anything against people who love their work and end up working 60-hour weeks, but to expect everyone to do that and expect them to be productive for all of that? People don't work that way. If you keep them working for 60+ hours they will goof off and break down from the stress.

If I was an employee there I would be moving on.

What get's me is "break your back to make yourself obsolete" mindset.

 

[Laodicean60]

The elite tend to like slavery.

 

[JustaPewFiller]

You know, Google's motto used to be "Don't be evil".
But they changed that to the more nebulous "Do the right thing"

In this case, the right thing, according to Sergey, is apparently for employees to get back in the office and work 60+ hours a week to make him little richer.

 

[Desk trauma]

What get's me is "break your back to make yourself obsolete" mindset.

Its going to make the people who actually matter richer, who wouldn’t want to work themselves to exhaustion to achieve that?

 

[7thKeeper]

Its going to make the people who actually matter richer, who wouldn’t want to work themselves to exhaustion to achieve that?

Man... It's an odd feeling when I work for a bloody bank and they keep reminding me to keep my work/life balance in good order.

 

[Desk trauma]

Man... It's an odd feeling when I work for a bloody bank and they keep reminding me to keep my work/life balance in good order.

The construction company I work for says that too, while they keep me on a thirteen on one off schedule for months.

 

[7thKeeper]

The construction company I work for says that too, while they keep me on a thirteen on one off schedule for months.

Well, in my case at least, they actually mean it. 70/20/10 model is kept well alive, no overtime or working late unless you consider it absolutely necessary, etc. 25+2 days off per year, etc. Used to view that tech companies were the ones with a soul back when I was young but man has that view changed .

 

[RileyG]

You know, Google's motto used to be "Don't be evil".
But they changed that to the more nebulous "Do the right thing"

In this case, the right thing, according to Sergey, is apparently for employees to get back in the office and work 60+ hours a week to make him little richer.

Sounds like pure greed to me. Eh?

 

[FireDragon76]

Beatings will continue until morale improves.

 

[JustaPewFiller]

Sounds like pure greed to me. Eh?

I can understand Google (or any company) not wanting to be left behind on tech changes, wanting to be profitable, or wanting to cut costs. Make no mistake, despite the talk many companies hope that AI will enable them to fire the people they are currently wanting to work 60+ hours a week.

Using the old, "carrot and stick" analogy the only "carrot" for the employees here is they get to keep their jobs for a little longer. Not sure that will motivate them to the upper plateaus of productivity and teamwork that Sergey is wanting.