Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin have returned to hands-on roles in the company's AI division, working alongside Demis Hassabis to drive what he calls a new "golden era" of discovery. In a recent interview, Hassabis revealed that Brin has been "in the weeds, programming" on projects like the well-received Gemini models, while Page contributes in more strategic ways.

This renewed founder involvement comes as Google DeepMind consolidates research units and pushes toward frontier AI development. The company's $3.9 trillion market cap has benefited from this shift, with shares rising approximately 65% by late 2025 following the release of Gemini 3 and viral image generation tools. Hassabis credits the merger of Google Brain and DeepMind as crucial for pooling talent and computing resources needed to compete with rivals like OpenAI.

The hands-on approach represents a return to Google's "shipping culture" of 15 years ago, with Hassabis emphasizing calculated risks and rapid innovation. While the immediate focus remains on disrupting Google's own core businesses before competitors do, Hassabis envisions AI eventually solving major challenges like the energy crisis and revolutionizing healthcare, ultimately enabling humanity to "travel the stars."