CEO defends 84-hour work-week culture amid death threats

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An Indian-origin CEO, who received death threats last month after revealing that his company operates on an 84-hour work-week culture, has defended his stance in a recent interview. Daksh Gupta, who runs the artificial intelligence startup Greptile in San Francisco, linked the intensity of his company's work culture to a "rocket launch". Gupta, however, added that this tough workstyle might not be suitable for everyone, and there were many successful companies that promoted a work-life balance.

"It's a rocket launch in some ways," Gupta said in an interview with NBC Bay news channel.

The issue of extended work hours is a raging debate in India, especially with Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy suggesting that Indians should work 70 hours a week to help the nation progress...

...Daksh Gupta, CEO of Greptile, stirred debate last month after detailing his company’s intense work culture in a post on X.

He explained that in his company, workdays typically begin at 9 am and end at 11 pm or later, with Saturdays being regular workdays and occasional work on Sundays.

"Recently, I started telling candidates right in the first interview that Greptile offers no work-life balance. Typical workdays start at 9 a.m. and end at 11 p.m., often later, and we work Saturdays, sometimes also Sundays," Gupta wrote on X.

"I emphasise the environment is high stress, and there is no tolerance for poor work. It felt wrong to do this at first, but I am convinced now that the transparency is good, and I’d much rather people know this from the get-go rather than find out on their first day. Curious if other people do this and if there is some obvious pitfall I am missing," he added.

After the post went viral on X, Gupta claimed that his inbox was filled with "20% death threats and 80% job applications".