Sergey Brin has spent much of his career thinking about long-term plans. As a co-founder of Google, he helped the world understand how to find information. Recently, Brin reflected on a past decision that altered the course of his life and shared his thoughts on how artificial intelligence is transforming higher education.
The Decision that set Everything in Motion
Sergey Brin pointed to a single, life-changing decision: committing fully to an idea that didn’t yet look inevitable. In the late 1990s, he and Larry Page were graduate students working on a research project that aimed to organize the web’s rapidly growing mass of information. The safe path would have been to finish their degrees and pursue traditional academic or corporate careers.
Instead, Sergey Brin Chose to Take the Risk
That decision meant leaving behind a clear, structured future in favor of something uncertain and messy. At the time, search engines already existed, funding was far from guaranteed, and failure was a real possibility. But Brin has said that choosing to focus on the problem he found most compelling, rather than the credential he was expected to complete, changed everything. It’s a theme he returns to often: big outcomes usually come from committing deeply, even when the odds are unclear.
How AI is Changing the Value of Higher Education
Sergey Brin’s reflections didn’t stop at his own past. He also addressed how artificial intelligence is forcing a rethink of what higher education is for.
For decades, college has been treated as both a place to learn and a gatekeeper. Degrees signalled intelligence, discipline, and employability. But Brin suggested that AI is weakening that signal. When powerful tools can write code, analyse data, and explain complex topics on demand, the value of memorising information or following rigid curricula starts to fade.
That doesn’t mean education no longer matters. It means the kind of education that matters is changing. Brin argued that universities still play a critical role when they teach students how to think, not what to think. Skills like problem framing, critical reasoning, collaboration, and intellectual curiosity are harder to automate. Exposure to ambitious peers and mentors also remains valuable. What’s less defensible, he implied, is treating a degree as proof of competence in a world where AI can rapidly level technical skill gaps.
Learning is a Continuous Process
Another point Sergey Brin emphasised is that learning no longer fits neatly into four years at the beginning of life. AI tools are evolving rapidly, and so are the skills needed to work with them. This reality favours continuous, self-directed learning over a one-time credential.
In this respect, Brin’s own story is instructive. His most impactful learning didn’t come from completing a formal program. It came from pursuing a difficult problem, building something real, and adapting to a changing world around him.
A Quiet Challenge to Traditional Paths
Sergey Brin didn’t explicitly tell people to drop out of college. Instead, his message was more nuanced and, perhaps, more challenging. Don’t confuse the structure with the substance. Don’t assume the traditional path is always the best one. And don’t underestimate how quickly technology can change the rules that once seemed permanent. For a generation growing up with AI as a constant companion, this perspective may be more valuable than any single credential. The real question is no longer where you studied, but how well you can learn, adapt, and determine what to commit to when the outcome is uncertain.
