Indian-origin CEO in US defends 84-hour work-week culture amid death threats

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.

On November 15, Murthy once again shared his opinion on the much debated work-life balance argument and said he didn't agree with the idea of "work-life balance".

That thought was being echoed by Gupta in the US.

Gupta emphasised that success depended on hard work and effort, as luck is uncontrollable.

"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," he said.

However, Gupta also noted that this tough work style might not be suitable for everyone, and there are many successful companies that promote a work-life balance.

"If you care about work-life balance, I think that's great," he said. "There are plenty of places that operate that way, and they're very successful," he added.

In the interview, he also admitted that he faced a lot of backlash on X but received a number of job applications.

Gupta said he is "hiring software engineers interested in hard work and a big payday down the road".

HOW DID THE 84-HOUR WORK CULTURE CONTROVERSY START?

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".