this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2025
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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Some have praised Brin’s commitment to pushing the company’s success, but others argue that his approach reflects an outdated and harmful mindset.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."

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[–] ARotePleaseBob@lemmy.world 64 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Why? Fuck me, that’s like a 12 hour day over a 5 day week. No-one is doing productive 12 hours day for very long, so he’s basically just arguing for an adult version of fucking daycare here.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 39 points 1 week ago (1 children)

...or 8.6 hours a day 7 days a week with no days off. There's no way to math this that isn't "fuck you, you don't deserve a life outside of working to replace yourself with AI."

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Or 10 hour days 6 days a week, only so the "responsible" employees can go to church.

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[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Specially developers, you're going to spend the first 3 hours of work every day, fixing all the shitty code wrote in the 3 last hours of the preview day.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

Yep. If you want max productivity from devs, it's salary and ad hoc.

Do your work when the fuck ever. Just get it done.

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[–] pageflight@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago

Classic correlation v. causation. The sweet spot for productivity is believing in and wanting to do your work. For some people, this motivates them to spend tons of time working. For some people, this boueys then to high productivity even while exercising great work life balance and avoiding burnout.

Google used to know this, and spend huge amounts of effort and resources on trust, enjoyment, innovation. Now that's something to find at other companies.

[–] Yeller_king@reddthat.com 29 points 1 week ago

I honestly think it's more like 30. If we're all just making numbers up.

[–] Triasha@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago

60 hours is the sweet spot for maximal control over your employees life with only the normal amount of suicides.

[–] Dvixen@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago

Spoken to someone who might work 60 minutes a week.

He can get fucked by his 60 hour work week. Sideways.

[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 26 points 1 week ago (5 children)
[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

At this point, it's an insult to clowns.

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[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago

double the salary is also a very sweet spot for productivity

[–] DegenerationIP@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Lol. Yeah. Shut up. Its not. Proven not.

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[–] x00z@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

If you are a CEO, sure. But if you are not then it's quite the opposite.

If only these capitalist pigs could put themselves in the shoes of others.

[–] TheChickenOfDoom@lemm.ee 18 points 1 week ago

What a pile of human garbage.

[–] BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk 18 points 1 week ago (2 children)

60/5=12/day 8/day for sleep Let's say it takes me an hour each way to get to and from the office. Maybe 1hr for dinner

Now I have 1 hour/day to do everything else I need to do? How did this guy invent Google?

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

You sleep at the office or work 6 or 7 days. People aren't often doing 60 hour weeks by working 12x5 and then 2 off.

Edit: Google even has those sleeping pods!

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[–] AdamBomb@lemmy.sdf.org 17 points 1 week ago

Last summer there were a bunch of stories reporting findings that companies that experimented with a 4-day work week saw productivity gains over the traditional 5-day, so this billionaire’s opinion sounds out of alignment with reality

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Outside of the google office would be a sweet spot for a guillotine.

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 15 points 1 week ago

Irony alert: pushing humans harder while building AI to replace them—brilliant strategy, Sergey.

😾

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's burnout waiting to happen

So? Then you fire them and hire fresh meat.

Humans are replaceable, no?

/S, of course

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[–] klemptor@startrek.website 13 points 1 week ago

Hey Brin, kindly go fuck yourself, you out-of-tpuch ass.

[–] varnia@lemm.ee 13 points 1 week ago (2 children)

We are slowly shifting to a 4x8=32h work week here. 60h long term has nothing to do with productivity anymore.

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[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

Google

---Do most harm---

[–] OmarDontScare@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Well, if Sergey Brin wants to work 60 hour weeks, be my guest. Sounds like a good idea for the CEO class, since they should really justify what they're paid.

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[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 week ago

Did that guy ever work anywhere else?

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm sorry that Sergey Brin apparently doesn't have hobbies or family/friends that care about him, but 60 is still wrong. We have computers and work multipliers and have perfected efficiency... We don't need to spend the majority of our lives toiling anymore! Some would argue against 40, but at least that gives a balanced workday: 8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of leisure. And I say all that as someone who actually likes their job...

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 week ago (19 children)

Commuting should be included in the 8 hour work day. I shouldn't have to give up some of my leisure time to drive to work.

This would also incentivize denser cities.

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[–] ABetterTomorrow@lemm.ee 12 points 1 week ago

Kicking Sergey Brin in the teeth and working 30 hours a week is max productivity.

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Rich asshole says out of touch moronic thing. More at 7.

[–] Cocopanda@futurology.today 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

He fucked his assistant at work and got divorced over it.

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[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 week ago

"Arbeit macht frei."

[–] thisphuckinguy@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Sergi can eat donkey dick.

[–] MyOpinion@lemm.ee 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

So nice of him to support the abuse of his employees for his personal gain.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 12 points 1 week ago

It's not about productivity. Productivity drops exponentially when people are tired. It's about crushing the human spirit.

[–] Nunar@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Has there ever been a better call to eat the rich?!

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Ahh, the typical manager misconception. Nope. Long work hours don't equal high productivity.

But I can understand that misconception, as it takes those people up there many more hours to get a single useful idea compared to those under them who actually do the work and earn the money.

[–] UnsavoryMollusk@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Does he hate social relationships and his family or something?

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[–] thingAmaBob@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I thought 6 hours per day were best? Also, where I work, we’ve gone through voluntary overtime, working 60 hour weeks. People start to look like zombies and were more prone to mistakes by week three. It is simply not sustainable.

EDIT: spelling/grammar

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[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

Hurry! Before they change president and figure out all the data we stole from everyone during this glorious time!

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