Indian-Origin CEO Gets Death Threats Over His Firm's '84-Hour Workweek'

An Indian-origin CEO has claimed that he received death threats after his social media post about the company's 84-hour workweek with “no work-life balance” went viral. Daksh Gupta, the CEO of AI startup Greptile, sparked a wave of controversy with a post detailing his company's demanding work culture.

Following the backlash, he mentioned that his inbox was a mix of "20 per cent death threats and 80 per cent job applications." The barrage of criticism came after Mr Gupta shared that employees at Greptile typically worked from 9 am to 11 pm or later, adding Saturdays were regular workdays and there was occasional work on Sundays too. He explained the company's “environment is high stress, and there is no tolerance for poor work.”

Mr Gupta now tells potential candidates during the first interview 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

- 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

In his follow-up post, he was sympathetic to employees who feel overworked and underpaid, particularly in software jobs outside the US. Mr Gupta clarified the intense work culture was not meant to be permanent, adding it was part of the early growth phase of a startup. 

“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 organisation,” he explained.

Mr Gupta's first post came under intense scrutiny, with many lambasting his approach and calling it a promotion of a “toxic work environment” and a “terrible mindset.” Some praised his transparency but warned that such conditions, unless accompanied by fair compensation, bordered on modern-day slavery.

In response to critics who suggested his approach was influenced by his Indian background, Mr Gupta clarified that his management style was shaped more by his experience in San Francisco's fast-paced startup culture than any cultural factors. "This is NOT meant to be prescriptive. Many other startups started the way we are starting," he added.