Greptile CEO Sparks Controversy Over 84-Hour Workweeks and No Work-Life Balance
Greptile CEO Sparks Controversy Over 84-Hour Workweeks and No Work-Life Balance
Daksh Gupta, the CEO of the AI startup Greptile based in San Francisco, sparked a fierce online discussion after he shared insights about his company’s rigorous work culture. In a social media post directed at potential hires, he highlighted the demanding 84-hour workweeks and the lack of work-life balance. This revelation led to a wave of reactions, including both death threats and job applications, forcing Gupta to defend his stance amid the growing controversy.
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In his tweet, Gupta was upfront with prospective employees, candidly describing the harsh realities of working at Greptile. He mentioned that typical workdays begin at 9 a.m. and often stretch until 11 p.m., with work consuming weekends as well. He stated, “Recently, I started telling candidates right in the first interview that Greptile offers no work-life balance.” While he initially felt uneasy about this transparency, he now believes it is important for candidates to be informed from the outset rather than discovering it on their first day.
His tweet quickly gained traction, amassing over 1.6 million views and sparking thousands of comments and retweets. This ignited a passionate debate surrounding work hours and work-life balance, issues that tend to evoke strong opinions. Some criticized Gupta for potentially exploiting workers, while others commended his commitment to honesty. The story, initially reported by Business Insider, featured remarks from frustrated employees who criticized what many referred to as a “toxic culture.”
One user pointed out, “If you can’t see the obvious problem here, that’s worrying. It’s a competition question: why would someone choose to work for you when you’re asking them to put in twice the effort without double the pay?” Another user remarked, “Transparency is important, but what makes you think this approach will lead to your company’s success over simply giving weekends off to boost productivity and enhance work quality in fewer hours? What’s the trade-off?” While Gupta responded to some of these comments, he later provided a more comprehensive reaction to his original post.
“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,” the CEO of Indian descent stated in another tweet. He defended his position, recognizing the tough realities of the tech industry, especially for those outside the US. He expressed empathy, saying, “To everyone who is overworked and underpaid at their software jobs, especially outside the US, I feel for you, and I’m sorry this struck a nerve. The people that work here had 6-fig 20 hr/week jobs before this, and can go back to them any time.”
He emphasized that his company’s intense work culture was meant to be a temporary measure, essential for the startup’s initial phase. He pointed out that this approach wasn’t a long-term strategy and that the company would evolve as it expanded. Regarding critics, he acknowledged that while this work environment might not suit everyone, it was ideal for individuals who excel under pressure and thrive in high-stakes situations.
He also responded to the racial criticism, clarifying that his work philosophy is influenced by his San Francisco background rather than his Indian heritage. He stated, “There’s a lot of Indian hate coming from this post, so I want to clarify that I am like this not because I’m Indian but because I’m San Franciscan.”
