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Indian-Origin CEO receives death threats over viral 84-hour work week post
The post sparked widespread backlash over the company's work culture, with Gupta’s inbox filling with what he described as "20 percent death threats and 80 percent job applications."
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Daksh Gupta / Image- X (@dakshgup)
Daksh Gupta, the Indian-American CEO of San Francisco-based AI startup Greptile disclosed receiving death threats following the viral social media post detailing his company’s demanding 84-hour workweek policy.
The post sparked widespread backlash over the company's work culture, with Gupta’s inbox filling with what he described as "20 percent death threats and 80 percent job applications."
In the viral post, Gupta detailed the company’s high-pressure environment, where employees are expected to work from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. or later, including regular Saturday shifts and occasional work on Sundays. “Our environment is high-stress, and there is no tolerance for poor work,” he wrote, adding that Greptile offers “no work-life balance.”
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
— Daksh Gupta (@dakshgup) November 10, 2024
- 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
In a follow-up post Gupta acknowledged the strong reactions and clarified that the intense work culture is part of the early startup phase and is not meant to be permanent. "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,”
"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,” he explained.
Gupta also responded to critics who suggested his management style was influenced by his Indian background, stating that it was shaped more by his experience in San Francisco’s startup culture than any cultural factors. “This is NOT meant to be prescriptive," he emphasized. "Many other startups started the way we are starting.”
Despite the criticism, Gupta defended his approach, stating that some employees choose to work long hours, and his recruitment process is designed to ensure candidates are fully aware of the demanding work environment.
This controversy has highlighted ongoing debates about work hours and employee well-being globally, with countries like Bhutan and the UAE leading in long working hours. The discussion was further fueled by a similar controversy earlier this year, when Infosys founder Narayana Murthy advocated for a 70-hour workweek in India, also sparking criticism.
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