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Defending the intense work culture at his company, the CEO compared it with a ‘rocket launch’ and argued that hard work and luck are the keys to success.
Despite facing heavy criticism, the CEO claimed he received a lot of job applications. (Representative Image)
A 23-year-old Indian entrepreneur from San Francisco garnered criticism last month after a post about his company’s extreme work culture went viral. Daksh Gupta, founder of Greptile, shared on X that his company promotes an 84-hour work week and employees often work from 9 AM to 11 PM, six or even seven days a week.
Now, he has reaffirmed his work ethic in a recent interview. Defending the intense work culture at his company, the CEO compared it with a “rocket launch” and argued that hard work and luck are the keys to success. While he believes that work-life balance might be important for some companies, an intense work environment is crucial for Greptile’s growth.
recently i started telling candidates right in the first interview that greptile offers no work-life-balance, typical workdays start at 9am and end at 11pm, often later, and we work saturdays, sometimes also sundays. i emphasize the environment is high stress, and there is no…— Daksh Gupta (@dakshgup) November 9, 2024
In a conversation with NBC Bay Area, Gupta said, “It’s a rocket launch in some ways. And when you have two groups of smart people that are trying to solve the same problem, the one that works harder and is luckier wins. And you can’t control your luck, but you can control how much time you put in.”
now that this is on the front page of reddit and my inbox is 20% death threats and 80% job applications, here’s a follow up– to everyone who is overworked and underpaid at their software jobs esp outside the US, i feel for you, and i’m sorry this struck a nerve. the people… pic.twitter.com/RzAM75DiG2
— Daksh Gupta (@dakshgup) November 10, 2024
Daksh Gupta maintained that there are many successful companies where employees focus on balancing their work and personal lives. However, his company works differently. He shared that Greptile is looking for software engineers who are ready to work hard now for the chance to earn big rewards in the future. Despite facing heavy criticism on social media for his strict working environment, the CEO mentioned that he also received a lot of job applications.
Some CEOs have raised concerns that startups like Greptile may be pushing the idea of hard work too much. Kristy Kim, CEO of TomoCredit, is one of those who believes that it’s possible to work hard and achieve success without giving up a personal life. She said, “It’s not the first time we’re hearing that ‘Work is everything.’ But the key here is don’t let work consume your entire life. If that happens you will burn out.”
After Daksh Gupta shared his controversial post, he followed up with another update. He mentioned that his inbox was flooded with mixed messages. According to the CEO, 20% were threats and the remaining 80% were job applications.
