Welcome to Monday’s Newsletter

In today’s scoop 🍨 

• Google’s AI Plan: 60 Hours or Bust?

• China’s AI Chiefs Grounded: No U.S. Trips

• Wayve's World Tour

• 3 Trending AI Tools

💡 Google’s AI Plan: 60 Hours or Bust?

Google co-founder Sergey Brin is back in the trenches, and he’s not here for half-measures. In a memo to Google’s AI team, Brin laid out a simple recipe for success:

• 💼 60-hour workweeks – Brin believes this is the "sweet spot" for productivity.

• 🏢 Full-time office presence – At least five days a week, no remote slacking.

• 🔄 No coasting – Doing the bare minimum? That’s "demoralizing" to everyone else.

Brin, who stepped away from Google’s daily operations in 2019, jumped back in after OpenAI’s ChatGPT sent shockwaves through the industry. Now, he’s spending more time at Google’s DeepMind AI division and is determined to push Gemini, Google’s AI suite, to the front of the pack.

🔍 Work Harder or Burn Out Faster?

Critics aren’t convinced. Some argue:

• ⚡ Long hours ≠ higher productivity – Mistakes increase, motivation drops.

• ☕ Burnout risk – Working more than 60 hours could do more harm than good.

• 💡 Focus matters more than time – Some say shorter, high-intensity work bursts are better.

Brin’s message is clear: if you want to be part of AI history, you better clock in—and stay late.

💭 Final Thought

Brin’s vision for AI dominance is clear, but at what cost? Will long hours fuel innovation—or just exhaustion? One thing’s for sure: the AGI race isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

🚨 China’s AI Chiefs Grounded: No U.S. Trips

If you’re a top AI executive in China, don’t pack your bags for the U.S. just yet—Beijing is waving a big red flag.

China is telling its AI elite to avoid visiting the U.S., fearing they might spill too many state secrets or, worse, get caught up in political drama. This isn’t an official ban, but a firm nudge—more like a "highly encouraged" detour away from U.S. soil.

🔎 Why The Travel Paranoia?

• 🚀 AI is the new arms race – With Chinese AI startups like DeepSeek and Alibaba stepping up, Beijing doesn’t want any leaks that could give the U.S. an edge.

• 🧨 Security fears – Authorities worry that executives could be detained and used as political pawns, like in past U.S.-China tech disputes—like when Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada at the request of the U.S., leading to a prolonged diplomatic standoff.

• 🌐 Tech sovereignty – China wants to build a self-sufficient AI industry, and keeping talent within its borders is part of that strategy.

🚷 Who’s Affected?

• 🔐 Executives at top AI firms, including those working on robotics and other sensitive tech.

• ✈️ Anyone thinking about a Silicon Valley networking trip. DeepSeek’s founder already skipped an AI summit in Paris—U.S. visits seem even riskier.

• 💼 Business leaders who might be seen as too cozy with the West

🌎The Big Picture

This is just the latest chapter in the U.S.-China AI rivalry. The two nations are in a tight race, and Beijing is playing defense by keeping its brightest minds close to home. Will this strategy help China’s AI dominance or leave it isolated?

🌍 Wayve's World Tour

The UK’s self-driving AI star, Wayve, is making moves—and not just on the streets of London. With a fresh $1B investment from SoftBank, Microsoft, and Nvidia, the company is shifting into high gear with a global expansion that’s picking up speed faster than a bullet train. 

🚘 Wayve’s Expansion Playbook

• Testing in new terrains: Already rolling in the UK, the company has launched test operations in Germany and the US, with Japan in its sights.

• Automaker deals incoming: Wayve is courting car manufacturers to integrate its AI-driven driver assistance software directly into production vehicles.

• Strategic locations: With offices in Silicon Valley and Stuttgart, Wayve is embedding itself in the automotive nerve centers of the world.

🔎 Why It Matters?

• Unlike Alphabet’s Waymo, which relies on expensive sensors and detailed 3D maps, Wayve’s AI-first approach learns as it drives. Think of it like the Netflix algorithm of navigation—analyzing countless variables in real time to predict the best moves and continuously improving with every mile driven. 

• The company’s "Level 2" self-driving system is already running on models like the Jaguar I-PACE and Ford Mustang Mach-E, with ambitions to scale up to full autonomy.

🔮 What’s Next?

Wayve's CEO, Alex Kendall, calls 2025 the "year of global expansion." With growing automaker interest and a system designed to adapt to new cities in weeks, the UK’s best shot at AI-powered driving might just become a worldwide phenomenon. Buckle up—this ride is just beginning.

🔧3 Trending AI Tools

• 📝 Promptimize AI - Browser extension that refines and optimizes your prompts in real time, ensuring clearer, more effective AI interactions across platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

• ⚡ Helix - Instantly transform your startup idea into an investor-ready prototype with functional, clickable UI/UX designs—no design skills required.

• 📊 Mesh - AI bookkeeper for startups that connects to your general ledger, providing real-time financial insights and automated daily reconciliation—no spreadsheets needed.

📩 Don’t Forget—Your Free AI Prompting Guide!

Need an AI-powered productivity boost? We’re giving away a free expert prompting guide to help you save hours every week in work and life. Just hit reply and let us know what you think of the newsletter, and we’ll send it your way! 🚀

And if you know someone who’d love this, pass it along and help grow the community!

Until tomorrow—stay curious! 👋