Andrew Feldman leads Cerebras, an AI chip company valued at $8.1 billion. He recently told a podcast that people who think they can work 38 hours a week and still build something extraordinary are mistaken. The CEO says the path to creating groundbreaking products demands every waking minute.
Founders reject short workweeks
According to Fortune, Feldman stressed on the 20VC podcast that building new ventures from nothing requires more than part-time effort. He said professionals can live happy lives working 40 hours, but they will not launch unicorns or roll out generation-defining products. Feldman joins other Silicon Valley leaders who dismiss standard schedules for entrepreneurs.
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan told staffers there is no way to achieve harmony between work and life. LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman warned that launching a startup means giving up evening entertainment. The only great founders are those who put everything into their ventures, Hoffman told Stanford University students in 2014.
Finding the productivity sweet spot
Some tech leaders have pushed back on 100-hour workweeks. But most agree that nine-to-five schedules do not lead to rapid career growth. Twilio CEO Khozema Shipchandler gives himself only eight hours on Saturdays to not think about work. He told Fortune that every peer he knows follows a similar schedule.
Hours versus results
Billionaire computer scientist Sergey Brin told Google Gemini staffers that 60 hours a week is the productivity sweet spot. But workplace experts say it is about going the extra mile. Dan Kaplan of ZRG Partners told Fortune that young professionals will not get ahead with 40 hours a week. The focus should be on working extra until the task is done.
Feldman told Fortune there is no magic number of hours. It is not about logging time but about being consumed by the work. He says it is about being driven to change the world and help teams be the best they can be. The message is clear: founders must accept that building something great requires intense dedication and long hours.
