Brin believes that, with the right resources, the company can win the AI race, but that means workers are being urged not only to return to the office but to consider doing longer 60-hour weeks (which works out to be 12 hours a day over five days).

Brin called for Googlers working on the company's AI products to increase their hours in a memo seen by The New York Times.

Brin has urged those working on the Gemini AI models to commit to 60-hour workweeks and come to the office every weekday. This statement comes at a time of intense competition in the AI sector, accelerated by the rapid surge of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin urged the AI teams to adopt a 60-hour work week as the "sweet spot" for maximising output, while warning against underperforming employees who could hinder the team's overall progress.

In an internal memo seen by the New York Times, the Google cofounder told employees working on Gemini, which develops the company's suite of AI products, that he recommends being in the office "at least every weekday" and that "60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity."

Mr Brin, who is estimated to be worth $144 billion, emphasised that "60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity" in a memo.

But now that the tech giant is the No. 5 biggest company in the world (as of press time), the bosses want employees at their desks, not carports. In a memo viewed by The New York Times and posted internally to employees working on Google's Gemini AI,