key takeaways
- Google co-founder Sergey Brin tried to retire from the company in 2019.
- In a new conversation released by Stanford University, Brin says retiring was “the worst decision” he could have made because it isolated him and cut him off from intellectual stimulation.
- Within a few months, he started going back to the office and spending more time on Gemini, Google’s flagship AI model.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin, 52, says go away Exiting the tech giant in 2019 and “trying to retire” soon proved to be the wrong move for him.
one in to talk In a recent report released by the Stanford University School of Engineering, Brin described his decision to retire as “the worst decision he ever made.” He initially envisioned a quiet life, consisting of long days spent sitting in cafes and studying physics. Instead, the timing couldn’t be worse: The COVID-19 pandemic shut down public life, including the cafes he wanted to use for his new routine.
Instead of a rich intellectual relaxation, Brin found himself isolated and disconnected from the stimulation to which he was accustomed. He told Stanford University students that without intellectually rigorous work, he was “just kind of cooking” and feeling “spiraling” and “not sharp.” He felt an urgent need to return to the office, which was closed at that time.
Connected: Google co-founder Sergey Brin is back at the company ‘Pretty Much Every Day’. Here’s what he’s working on.
“After several months, we started having some people go to the office, and I started doing that occasionally,” Brin said in the interview. “[I]then started spending more and more time on what became Gemini, which is extremely exciting.”
The work developing Gemini, Google’s flagship AI model, gave Brin an important technical and creative outlet. Today, Brin works full-time at Google, focusing on AI initiatives.
“I think it’s very beneficial,” he said. “If I had stayed retired, I think it would have been a big mistake.”
Brin connected his retirement regrets to a broader theme: Founders, including himself, often misjudge timing and urgency. he gave $1,500 google glass Smart glasses as an example, claiming that they brought a product to market that was not affordable or not ready for the general public. He wanted to pioneer an innovative product, but didn’t think about the technical details.
Connected: Google is creating AI ‘intelligent eyewear’ with Warby Parker after tracking Meta’s success with Ray-Ban
He has also urged his team members to work more than the standard 40 hours per week – and all of it in the office. In a memo released earlier this year, he recommended that Google employees working on Gemini AI should work in the office “at least every weekday” and described the 60-hour work week as “the sweet spot for productivity.”
At the time of writing this article, Brin is the third richest person in the world, with a net worth of $246 billion. Bloomberg Billionaires IndexHe follows Elon Musk and fellow Google co-founder Larry Page, who are ranked first and second respectively,
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key takeaways
- Google co-founder Sergey Brin tried to retire from the company in 2019.
- In a new conversation released by Stanford University, Brin says retiring was “the worst decision” he could have made because it isolated him and cut him off from intellectual stimulation.
- Within a few months, he started going back to the office and spending more time on Gemini, Google’s flagship AI model.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin, 52, says go away Exiting the tech giant in 2019 and “trying to retire” soon proved to be the wrong move for him.
one in to talk In a recent report released by the Stanford University School of Engineering, Brin described his decision to retire as “the worst decision he ever made.” He initially envisioned a quiet life, consisting of long days spent sitting in cafes and studying physics. Instead, the timing couldn’t be worse: The COVID-19 pandemic shut down public life, including the cafes he wanted to use for his new routine.
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