Working at a startup may mean very long days and endless hours of work, but for this co-founder, the task of building a startup over the past seven months has meant no sleep or sleep. That meant working 18-hour days.
Tushar S, CEO of Vaani Co, shared the daily life of co-founder Abhilash Khare on social media (LinkedIn/dstartupkid)
In a post on LinkedIn, Tushar S shared a long post to co-founder Abhinash, who is working on Vaani, a company developing human-like voice AI systems.
The CEO introduced his colleagues and said that Avinash Khare starts his day at 8am and works till 2am. Sometimes I sleep near my computer system so that I can start work right away in the morning without wasting time.
Read the viral post here:
“His bed is 3 feet away from his computer system and he jumps to the screen as soon as he wakes up. No water, no morning routine. It took about seven months of coding until 2 a.m., waking up at 8 a.m., and going right back to the research paper and code. ” the post reads.
Tushar added that he did not intend to “glorify the hustle” but that he and his co-founders are willing to push the boundaries for the company.
“It’s hard to launch a startup. It’s even harder to launch a startup without resources or funding.
Would you quit your high-paying (and I mean crazy high-paying) job to start a startup with no outside support? It’s next level,” he added.
(Also read: Startup founder trolled for not tipping in US has this advice about your salary)
“Grinding to delay death”
While some praised the pair’s passion for their work, many LinkedIn users criticized the post for promoting a toxic work culture.
“This is a new way to celebrate a toxic culture. A well-rested body and mind will do wonders. As a co-founder, you should try to lighten his load, even if he wants to.” Please think long term!” said one person. the user said.
“I think this kind of crushing is a ‘toxic work culture’ and there’s no point in praising it in public. I fully understand how difficult it is to launch a startup, but at the same time… It’s important to focus on sustainable societies that grow organically rather than crush to slow death,” said another user.
In response to the criticism, the CEO said that since there are effectively two employees in the company, they have no choice but to work long hours. “Most of you have expressed concerns about our health and work-life balance. Of course, no one wants to work day in and day out for months on end. But sometimes we don’t have a choice and we don’t have the resources.” he wrote. (Also read: Shloka Mehta’s startup co-founder talks about Ambani Bahu’s 3 best qualities)
