Its baseline: Indian founder in San Francisco says 80-hour work week isn’t extreme

New Delhi: An Indian founder based in San Francisco shared her views in support of 80-hour workweeks. The founder called it the "baseline". Her comments grabbed the attention of many. Once again, it sparked a conversation about work-life balance. 

Neha Suresh shared a video on X featuring herself and her co-founder, Akash, working from a home office. She captioned it, "If you're not spending 14+ hours a day working on your dream, you're ngmi. You can’t build a world-changing product on 9-to-5 energy. 80-hour weeks aren’t extreme. It's baseline." The post amassed several comments. 

While some appreciated Suresh's enthusiasm and drive, others were keen to discuss further and understand if working 80 hours a week is a sustainable plan. Many firmly believed that it would contribute to burnout. "Hot take: This is how you build a world-class burnout, not a world-changing product. The goal isn't to work 80 hours. It's to get 80 hours of results in 20 focused hours," said one. 

Another person stated, "Simply not sustainable! Plus, your employees will not be paid enough to work 80+ hours per week! If this applies only to you, founders, then it's ok. At the end of the day, you will take the majority of the money! Doing a venture is your choice and I respect that, but do not generalise (sic)." 

A third person commented, "I love the passion and dedication you bring to your dreams, Neha, though I'm not sure 14 hours a day is sustainable for everyone, and maybe world-changing products can be built on different types of energy, not just the 9-5 or 80-hour kind." 

Meanwhile, some stated that she had "intense motivation" and added that it was necessary if you are building something. Others were reminded of the controversial take by Narayana Murthy relating to work hours.