India and the larger global workforce paradigm look to find consensus on the right working hours. Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, which now comes under its parent company, Alphabet, has shared his thoughts in the matter.
But, Brin has given his opinion in a particular context, of that of AI or Artificial Intelligence.
60 Hours of Sweet Productivity
According to Brin, engineers should increase the working capabilities and work for 60 hours in a week to enhance and accelerate developments and breakthroughs in the race of Artificial Intelligence.
Brin shared this thought in an internal memo to Google/Alphabet employees, particularly Google’s own AI project, Gemini.
He has also added that the workforce should be in the physical office every day of the weekdays.
Brin shared this thought in an internal memo to Google/Alphabet employees, particularly Google’s own AI project, Gemini.
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This comes at a time, when Brin and Google think that the company needs impetuous and commitment in the AI rush, amid the meteoric rise of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which itself is backed by another tech-giant, Microsoft.
Here, a 60 hour workweek would be equivalent to 10 hours a day in a 6-day workweek and 12 hours in a 5-day workweek.
This is higher than the International Labour Organisation’s mandated 48 hours in week.
In the memo, he further added, ’60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity.’
These comments from Brin dovetail to the larger trend seen across the globe, particularly in the United States, shifting to a non-accommodative, aggressive stance on working hours.
Recently, JP Morgan Chase’s celebrated CEO Jamie Dimon was also recorded saying his employees to leave if they do not wish to adhere to his policies at one of the largest banks in the world. |
The Working Hours Debate
Elon Musk, in one of many of his posts on X, claimed that DOGE employees work for 120 hours a week. Recently, JP Morgan Chase’s celebrated CEO Jamie Dimon was also recorded saying his employees to leave if they do not wish to adhere to his policies at one of the largest banks in the world.
This also aligns with a larger paradigm shift seen in the American Inc, which has moved towards more ‘business friendly’ policies, paring aside progressive labour friendly policies.
In India, the discussion on working hours has been fought over TV debates and social media posts, as big names of the industry have touted their own ideas. L&T chairman famously advocated for 90-hour workweek. This itself came at the back of the controversial 70 hour workweek pioneered by Infosys’s Narayan Murthy.
