Indian-origin CEO Defends 84-hour Workweeks in the Face of Criticism

Daksh Gupta, the Indian-origin CEO who faced widespread criticism last month after admitting that his employees are expected to work more than 14 hours per day, has reaffirmed his stance in a recent interview.

Gupta, co-founder and CEO of AI firm Greptile, compared the intensity of his company's work environment to a "rocket launch".

"It's a rocket launch in some ways," the 23-year-old told NBC Bay Area on Tuesday.

Gupta emphasized that success is frequently a result of hard work and serendipity.

"When two groups of intelligent individuals are attempting to tackle the same problem, the one who works harder and is lucky wins. You cannot control your luck, but you can control how much time you put in," Gupta said.

He did, however, concede that such strenuous working conditions may not be for everyone, and that many successful businesses promote work-life balance.

"If you care about work-life balance, I think that's fantastic. There are several places that operate in this manner, and they are highly successful," he stated during the interview.

Daksh Gupta, a Delhi native, sparked a debate over work-life balance in a recent post on X (previously Twitter). He stated that his start-up, Greptile, does not provide work-life balance.

"Our workdays typically begin at 9 a.m. and end at 11 p.m., sometimes later. We also work on Saturdays and Sundays. I emphasize that the workplace is high stress, and there is no tolerance for poor work," he wrote in the post, which went viral on X, garnering over 1.6 million views.

Gupta claimed that after posting on social media, he received death threats.

"My inbox is 20% death threats and 80% job applications," said the entrepreneur, who formerly worked at Amazon in the United States before starting his own company.

In response to the backlash he received after his immensely viral tweet, Gupta stated that he works in this manner not because he is Indian, but because he is "San Franciscan".

"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," he added.