Sergey Brin: I Don’t Think My Kids Should Go to College

Let’s talk about something that might make Indian parents a little nervous. Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google a man whose company practically built the internet as we know it now says, “I don’t think they should go to college.” Yes, you read that right.

Why would one of the world’s most successful tech entrepreneurs say something like that?

Here’s what’s happening.

AI is Beating Humans at Their Own Game

Brin isn’t being reckless. He’s watching what’s happening with artificial intelligence, and he’s worried. “The AIs are basically… already ahead [of humans] in math or calculus or whatever, sometimes even ahead of some top humans in contests,” he explains. Remember all those years we spent chasing marks, going to coaching classes, and learning formulas? Brin says AI can now do all that faster and better. There are already cases of AI tools solving tough math problems or writing clean code that even top engineers admire.

He goes further, questioning the whole point of learning what’s already outdated. “What is the AI going to be [in the] exact year?” he asks, underlining how fast things are moving.

So What’s College Good For?

Here’s the twist. Brin isn’t saying education has no value. What he really wants his kids to learn at college isn’t calculus or coding it’s how to deal with people. “At this point, I think the main thing is social adjustment and learning to deal with failure,” he says. In his eyes, that’s what the campus experience is about now. For years, Indian employers have said the same: fresh graduates know the theory, but struggle when it comes to communication, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving.

Can Managers Relax? Not Really

Even management isn’t safe. “Management is like the easiest thing to do with the AI,” Brin claims. He describes an incident at Google where, “the AI correctly identified an engineer for promotion by analyzing chat contributions something the managers hadn’t even noticed.” That’s a shot across the bow for anyone who thinks their “soft skills” are a permanent safety net.

Is Coding Still a Golden Ticket?

Let’s get real. For years, parents have believed coding is a surefire way to a good job, especially in India’s IT industry. Brin just changed the narrative. He fought internally at Google to allow engineers to use Gemini, their own AI tool, to code faster: “I fought internally to allow our engineers to use Gemini for coding.” He believes developers could become ten times more productive with AI or, soon enough, that AI could handle the coding altogether. “All developers could be 10x more productive, or eventually computers will do most of the coding,” Brin predicts.

What Does This Mean for You?

If you’re a student, the message is simple: focus on what AI can’t do. Learn to adapt, communicate, and solve problems that need a human touch. If you’re a parent, maybe ask if pushing your child into the same old degree race is still the safest bet.

As Brin sums it up, the purpose of education is shifting:
“Education should be about learning how to learn, not just memorizing answers for tests that AI can already solve.”

In the End…

Sergey Brin isn’t asking us to abandon education. He’s asking us to rethink what we’re actually learning. In a future where AI is doing the technical heavy lifting, the real winners will be those who can do what machines can’t or at least, not yet.

And if a Google founder is questioning the value of college, it might be time for all of us to start asking tougher questions too.

Watch the entire conversation here: