In ongoing debates around work-life balance, another CEO has taken a stance in the argument by laying bare the working conditions at his company, Greptile. In a recent post on X, Greptile, a US-based startup’s CEO Daksh Gupta talked about how his inbox was filled with 20 percent death threats and 80 percent job applications after he mentioned his start-up’s working conditions.
In the post, the Indian origin based CEO stated, “Recently I started telling candidates right in the first interview that Greptile offers no work-life-balance, typical workdays start at 9 am and end at 11 pm, often later, and we work Saturdays, sometimes also Sundays. I emphasize the environment is high-stress, and there is no tolerance for poor work. “
While Gupta contemplated if furnishing this information was wrong in the first place, he placed transparency above everything else.
“it felt wrong to do this at first but I’m 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. “
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
Greptile co-founder said in a following post that even though this work-life balance is not believable by many, he said that people who are willing to work under these terms also exist. He further said that by being transparent about these terms up front, they are able to find the right candidate for their company.
“it might be hard to believe but there exist people that want this, while a minority. the transparency exists to identify them. “
However, he clarified that this is not how they wish to continue forever. He realizes that such working conditions are not sustainable.
“This way of working isn’t supposed to be forever because it isn’t sustainable. It’s the first year or two of a startup which is like reaching escape velocity. like people said in the comments, as we mature we’ll hire older, more experienced people who have families and can’t work 100 hours a week, and naturally we would adapt like any good organization.”
Gupta said that he is like this not because he is Indian, but because he is “San Franciscan.”
Netizens had mixed reactions to this incident. While some appreciated Gupta for his transparency and for not just “deleting the post and moving on”, others still questioned his office policies, highlighting the fact that adequate sleep and rest are necessary for employees to bring maximum productivity to the company.