If Google really wanted high performance, they’d focus on:
• Psychological safety: Employees do their best work when they feel secure and valued.
• Autonomy & flexibility: People work better when they have control over their schedules.
• Healthy work cultures: A 60-hour workweek breeds burnout, not brilliance.
This isn’t just about Google.
It’s about corporate culture clinging to outdated ideas.
If Brin thinks 60-hour weeks are the secret to productivity, he might need to read up on actual research instead of relying on Silicon Valley folklore.
What do you think, are we still mistaking hours worked for impact in today’s workplaces?
Sergey Brin’s stance on productivity is a prime example of the outdated, hustle-centric mindset that continues to plague workplaces.
The idea that “60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity” isn’t just misguided, it’s actively harmful.
There’s overwhelming evidence that productivity isn’t about sheer hours worked but about focus, engagement, and wellbeing. Research from the University of Oxford has found that happier employees are 13% more engaged.
Meanwhile, excessive working hours increase stress, burnout, and mental health issues, leading to higher absenteeism, presenteeism, and lower long-term output.
What Brin is pushing isn’t productivity, it’s performative overwork.
It’s a badge of honour for leadership that wants to extract more from employees without investing in better working conditions, autonomy, or genuine motivation.
And it’s completely out of step with modern understanding of workplace wellbeing.