Gemini AI Picked a Silent High Performer for Promotion, Sergey Brin Says

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has shared a surprising example of Gemini AI's capability — identifying a high-performing employee overlooked by traditional human management.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin publicly discussed a unique way he utilised Gemini AI, selecting an engineer for a promotion who might otherwise have been overlooked.

This moment, which originated on a podcast in May 2025 and gained new attention after being widely posted on X by Yuchen Jin, demonstrated the AI's ability to surface hidden merit — something often missed by typical corporate processes.

Brin's Surprising Question

Brin described how, during internal experimentation, he posed a simple question to Gemini in a Google Chat, 'Who should be promoted in this chat space?' The result, he admitted, was unexpected.

The post on X detailed how the AI model identified a junior woman engineer. Her worth, the system noted, was evident through her highly praised contributions to code reviews and pull requests, despite her quiet presence in team conversations.

Following this discovery, Brin validated the AI's selection with the engineer's line manager, and she consequently received the promotion.

AI's Final Assessment

The accompanying video to the X post featured Brin describing the event himself, explaining how Gemini brought someone to his attention whose promotion-worthy contributions he had not noticed before.

In his own words, Brin recounted his thought process, stating he asked the system, 'And then I was like well, who should be promoted in this CHA space'.

He recalled his genuine surprise when Gemini selected the quiet employee. 'And I actually picked out this woman, this young woman engineer who like, you know. I didn't even notice who wasn't very vocal, particularly in that PRS kicked at.'

Brin continued, explaining that Gemini had revealed something crucial he had overlooked. 'And then I know something that the AI had detected and I went. I talked to the manager actually, and and he was like. Yeah, you know what? You're right like she's been working really hard. Did all these things? Wow. I think that ended up happening actually.'

The discussion showcased Brin's keen interest in deploying AI to overcome typical organisational hurdles — a tactic he playfully termed his' founder mode' for bypassing bureaucratic steps.

AI: A Tool for Objectivity in Large Teams

The post that recirculated the video argued that AI offers leaders a method to identify true contributors who might otherwise be lost in typical company settings.

Jin specifically noted that artificial intelligence can pinpoint 'value that human systems overlook', particularly in professional environments where exposure frequently benefits individuals who are louder or better at workplace politics.

The example Brin provided resonates with a much larger question posed by the post, 'How far are we from an AI CEO?' Although Brin did not support the idea of an AI leading a company, his specific use case clearly showed how artificial intelligence could support human leadership in large, complex organisations by offering performance insights driven strictly by data.

The tale also highlighted Gemini's growing significance within Google, especially as Brin takes a more direct role in its development and application. Jin observed that Brin now relies on the AI tool to streamline his work, using it to quickly summarise conversations, assign tasks, and operate more effectively in complex team settings.

Management Style: A New Approach Unveiled

The anecdote has resonated widely online because it signifies a change, AI is moving past automated duties and entering the realm of subtle organisational decision-making. Brin's use case points to a future where artificial intelligence functions as an extra observer — one that can thoroughly analyse interactions, code output, and working methods at a massive scale humans cannot replicate.

For Brin, the lesson was clear, the AI successfully identified genuine talent, and this was then validated by human oversight, including a discussion with the engineer's manager. In a corporate environment where reserved individuals are often overlooked, Gemini's intervention delivered a distinct example of technology fostering more equitable recognition.

As Jin concluded, the entire sequence is 'just fascinating' — offering a look at how work, leadership, and finding talent might evolve once founders actively engage with advanced AI tools to enhance their core operations.