Google co-founder Sergey Brin urges employees to intensify their efforts in the race for artificial general intelligence (AGI). In a memo posted on March 5, he called on Google’s Gemini AI team to return to the office full-time and commit to a 60-hour workweek.
Brin’s push highlights his belief that AGI, where machines equal or surpass human intelligence, could arrive much sooner than expected. “Competition has accelerated immensely, and the final race to AGI is afoot,” Brin said.
He added that they “have all the ingredients to win this race,” but they must “turbocharge” their efforts.
Brin to Google employees: Show up “at least every weekday”
Brin’s memo does not modify Google’s official hybrid work policy, which currently requires at least three on-site days weekly. But his call for employees to show up “at least every weekday” underscores his vision for a more intense, collaborative push toward AGI.
The memo stressed the importance of office presence and increased working hours to boost productivity. “In my experience, about 60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity,” he said. However, he acknowledged that while some employees might put in even more hours, excessive workloads can lead to burnout and diminish creativity.
Brin was also critical of employees who put in minimal effort, saying they could be “highly demoralizing to everyone else.” He encouraged engineers to write code using Google’s AI models, positioning them as the “most efficient coders and AI scientists in the world.”
Meanwhile, the memo reflects a growing trend in the tech industry, where leaders push for longer hours and more on-site presence. Last December, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy similarly called for a 70-hour workweek. He argued that extended hours drive productivity and innovation and help India’s economic growth.
AGI could arrive as early as 2026
Predictions on AGI’s launch vary, with some experts suggesting it could happen as early as 2026. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei believes this technology, “broadly better than almost all humans at almost all things,” might come as early as 2026 or 2027. This is much earlier than other studies, which set its arrival between 2040 and 2060.
Amodei also stated during the World Economic Forum’s “Technology in the World” session on January 23 that these changes would occur in the military, workplace technology, self-driving cars, and biology. He believes that accelerating the progress of biology can be significantly reduced from 100 years to just five to ten years “if we harness AI effectively.”
“Doubling the human lifespan doesn’t seem far-fetched,” he added. “That’s the grand vision.”
Meanwhile, this accelerated timeline poses gains and challenges for the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector. Advanced AI could streamline traditional services such as customer support, data entry, and back-office tasks. Meanwhile, BPO firms can offer high-value services such as AI integration, data analytics, and consulting, driving demand for upskilled workforces.
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Novak, M. (2025, January 24). Anthropic CEO Hilariously Claims AI Will Double Human Lifespans Within a Decade. Gizmodo. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://gizmodo.com/anthropic-ceo-hilariously-claims-ai-will-double-human-lifespans-within-a-decade-2000554601
Afifi-Sabet, K. (2025, March 8). AGI could now arrive as early as 2026 — but not all scientists agree. Live Science. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/agi-could-now-arrive-as-early-as-2026-but-not-all-scientists-agree
HGS. n.d. “The Positive Impact of AI on BPO Careers: What Job Seekers Should Know.” JoinHGS (blog). Retrieved March 13, 2025, from https://www.joinhgs.com/ph/en/insights/blogs/impact-of-ai-on-bpo-industry.
