Entrepreneur Daksh Gupta, CEO of San Francisco-based AI start-up Greptile, has ignited a firestorm of debate after candidly sharing his firm’s high-intensity work tradition. In a viral tweet, Gupta described an 84-hour workweek, minimal work-life steadiness, and weekend shifts, sparking reactions starting from scathing criticism to overwhelming job functions.
Gupta’s transparency, whereas geared toward attracting like-minded candidates, provoked a polarising response on-line. “At Greptile, work-life steadiness doesn’t exist,” he wrote. “Typical workdays begin at 9 a.m. and finish at 11 p.m., usually later. Saturdays and generally Sundays are workdays too. Transparency is vital, and I favor candidates to know upfront slightly than uncover it on day one.” His publish shortly amassed over 1.6 million views, with customers calling out the tradition as exploitative.
Critics accused Gupta of glorifying overwork, with one person questioning, “Why would anybody select to work twice as laborious with out honest compensation?” Others pointed to burnout dangers, asking whether or not such hours really yielded productiveness features. Gupta, nevertheless, stood agency, clarifying that the extreme tempo was a short-term technique through the start-up’s foundational stage. “This isn’t endlessly,” he tweeted, “It’s the grind required in our present section.”
Amid the backlash, Gupta revealed the dimensions of the response in a follow-up publish: “Now that my inbox is 20% dying threats and 80% job functions, right here’s some context.” He defined that Greptile workers have been free to depart at any time, many having left soft six-figure jobs for the problem and imaginative and prescient of the startup.
Gupta additionally addressed the racial hostility his publish attracted, notably feedback tying his management fashion to Indian work tradition. “This isn’t about being Indian,” he asserted. “It’s about being a San Franciscan startup founder.”
Regardless of the storm of criticism, Gupta’s no-holds-barred method to transparency has struck a chord with some, highlighting the stark divides in how trendy work-life steadiness is perceived in a world pushed by hustle tradition.