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Reid Hoffman reminded prospective business owners that if they want to create a profitable company, they will have to give up personal time.
When LinkedIn first started, workers were expected to put in a lot of overtime. (Photo Credit: YouTube)
Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn, has never minced words about his attitude towards work. He did not adhere to the conventional work-life balance in the early stages of his startup. Hoffman delivered a sobering reality check to prospective entrepreneurs in a 2024 podcast, telling them that they will have to give up things like weekend relaxation and binge-watching television if they hope to create a profitable company.
The co-founder of LinkedIn clarified that even if they had kids, LinkedIn employees were expected to put in long hours in the company’s early years. Although he made it apparent that they needed to go back to work after dinner, he nonetheless urged them to eat dinner with their families.
“Work life balance is not the startup game, so when we started LinkedIn, we started with people who had families, so we said sure they go home, have dinner with your family, then after your dinner with your family, open up your laptop and get back into the shared work experience and keep working,” Hoffman said, while appearing on The Diary Of A CEO podcast.
In response to the interviewer’s suggestion that denying employees a work-life balance can be interpreted as harsh in the modern world, Reid Hoffman said that those who hold such views are ignorant of how startups operate. He clarified that operating a company is challenging and demands complete commitment. Long-term job retention may be difficult for someone unwilling to put in a lot of effort.
“It’s not that everyone has to work at startups. Working at startups is a voluntary choice, but that’s the game for a startup,” the CEO further explained.
According to Reid Hoffman, there are just two circumstances in which a startup may maintain work-life balance. First, the startup will be under less pressure if it is small and has no actual competition. Secondly, if the company is so dominant in the market that nobody can compete with it. Startups typically operate in very competitive settings, though. He revealed that PayPal had decided to serve dinner at the office to encourage staff members to stay and work rather than go home. Other companies eventually began following suit to stay competitive.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
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