Sergey Brin's University Warning: Google is Now Hiring 'Tons' Without Degrees

Sergey Brin, Google's Co-Founder, is making headlines following his statement that says Google is hiring 'tons' of people without bachelor's degrees, at the closing event of Stanford University Engineering's centennial year.

Entrepreneur reports that according to Brin, although Google has hired several 'academic stars,' the tech company also hires employees without a bachelor's degree. 'Inasmuch as we've hired a lot of academic stars, we've hired tons of people who don't have bachelor's degrees. They just figure things out on their own in some weird corner,' Brin said.

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Sergey Brin's statement may have been directed only at Stanford University students, but it has sparked discussion about the tech industries shifting to skill-based hiring. According to the Burning Glass Institute's publication, The Emerging Degree Reset, the rate of Google's job postings requiring a degree in 2022 dropped to 77% from 93% in 2017.

The publication highlights how the fast-paced technology sector forces firms to reprogram the way they recruit: 'The U.S. labour market is facing a number of challenges that are motivating employers to adopt skills-based hiring. The accelerating rate of technological change is reshaping skills requirements faster than providers can respond.' It also stated that several tech firms, such as Accenture and IBM, have become public about prioritising skills over degrees in IT roles, and have made changes to their job requirements.

Brin's Statement

Contrary to what is circulating in the news, Brin didn't actually dismiss the value of college education. Brin shared the path he took, from being a Stanford University PhD student to co-founding Google in 1995, calling it PageRank before renaming it to Google.

Brin said, 'I chose computer science because I had a passion for it. It was kind of a no-brainer for me. I guess you could say I was also lucky because I was also in such a transformative field.'

The Google co-founder also cautioned students not to make academic choices based on fears of AI replacing jobs. He told the students, 'The AI is probably even better at comparative literature, just to be perfectly honest anyway.'

Google's decision to shift its hiring process to what it is today reflects the changes the tech industry is facing. In 2024, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said, 'I don't think necessarily because you go to an Ivy League school or have great grades, it means you're going to be a great worker or great person. If you look at skills of people, it is amazing how skilled people are in something, but it didn't show up in their resume,' per Fortune.

Fortune also shared that Alex Karp, Palantir CEO, has openly spoken about the mounting pressure on the younger generation to secure credentials from highly acclaimed universities, and how little these credentials actually matter when they actually have to do the job. Last year, Karp said, 'If you did not go to school, or you went to a school that's not that great, or you went to Harvard or Princeton or Yale, once you come to Palantir, you're a Palantirian. No one cares about the other stuff.'

Economic Impact

When companies adopt skills-based hiring, it could give a ton of people without formal education access to high-paying roles, but it could also mean notable drops in university enrolments. In any case, Sergey Brin's statement has had an impact on students, sectors, and educators across the globe.