Sergey Brin is Back at Google, Working on Gemini
Sergey Brin holds no executive title at Google, but he has gained influence over Gemini from a converted microkitchen in Mountain View, according to Business Insider. The shift follows a DeepMind reshuffle in August.
Recent Developments
- DeepMind Reshuffle: Demis Hassabis stepped down as CEO and became Alphabet’s Chief Scientist. Koray Kavukcuoglu became Senior Vice President of Google DeepMind, and Jeff Dean left after 27 years to start his own company.
- Gemini Focus: Brin wants to run Gemini like a startup, with a U-shaped arrangement of desks in the microkitchen where Kavukcuoglu and CEO Sundar Pichai frequently meet.
- Access to Computing Power: Teams trade work for access to Google’s chips, or go directly to Brin.
Brin’s Involvement
Brin has primarily focused on the technical aspects of Gemini, including:
- Model Sizes and Release Windows: He has input on these key decisions.
- Chip Project (Frozen): In 2025, he cut a chip project led by Jeff Dean, later revived as Frozen v2, and reduced its resources this year.
- Monitoring Employees: He proposed monitoring some employees as they code to train Gemini’s coding skills.
- Recursive Self-Improvement: Brin is highly invested in this idea, pushing staff to focus on it.
- Workweek Hours: He previously suggested that 60 hours per week is the optimal workweek for productivity, a sentiment he has expressed in internal posts and publicly.