Gen Z founders looking for their big break face a modern impasse: protect their mental health or sacrificing work-life balance in the pursuit of success.
Shark Tank investor and millionaire Kevin O’Leary gives clear advice to Gen Z founders on how to spend their time.
“The worst advice I constantly hear young founders given is that they want to work 18 hours a day. How stupid is that?” O’Leary said in a video on Instagramsporting a red cheetah print top and floral pants.
This reprimand comes as everyday workers are increasingly called upon to work longer hours. THE 996 – a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six-day-a-week work schedule banned in China in 2021 – was recently glorified in Silicon Valley. AI startup Rilla told to the candidates Don’t bother applying unless they are enthusiastic about working 70+ hours a week.
But contrary to popular belief, working hard doesn’t mean neglecting self-care, O’Leary said.
“This idea that we don’t sleep, as if it’s good for investors, is pure nonsense,” he said. Eating well, sleeping and exercising are “the way to optimize,” he added.
The founder’s state of mind
O’Leary’s advice is a notable shift for the serial investor, who in the past encouraged founders to work as hard as possible to get ahead.
“You either make money or you lose it,” he wrote in a Message in 2024. “If you want to succeed in business, you have to work 25 hours a day because there is someone across the world who will kick your ass if you don’t. »
O’Leary previously said Fortune that he seeks a “founder’s mindset,” which focuses on what needs to be done in the next 18 hours, while drowning out the “noise” of daily life. He added that he looks for a 1:2 speaking-to-listening ratio and the execution prowess of a leader when investing.
More and more business leaders are changing their minds and encouraging more balance. Even CEOs, who can rarely completely unplugfind time to rest. Insomnia Cookies Founder and CEO Seth Berkowitz said Fortune he takes two-hour phone breaks every day. Sami Inkinen, CEO and co-founder of Virta Health Group, takes a week off to travel to remote areas like the Himalayas, where he is not reachable.
As CEOs and employees feel pressured to always be “on” and available to work, “toxic productivity” can cause chronic stress, insomnia, anxiety, depression and endanger physical health, according to Harvard Medical School.
“If you show up half dead, I’m not investing. You’re not a hero, you’re a liability,” O’Leary wrote in the video’s caption.
