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Business Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Business Insider
How business leaders like Jeff Bezos and Mark Cuban feel about work-life balance
Many CEOs and business leaders have shared their thoughts on work-life balance. Some support it while others call it a hindrance to success. Here's what some of the biggest names in business make of work-life balance. How do you juggle your personal life with your work? Just about everyone has an opinion on work-life balance, including CEOs. Some business leaders see it as an important equilibrium to maintain, while some outright hate the idea. Here are some top business execs' takes on work-life balance. Mark Cuban says, "There is no balance" for incredibly ambitious people On a recent episode of "The Playbook," a video series from Sports Illustrated and Entrepreneur, billionaire entrepreneur and former "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban said, "There is no balance" for the most ambitious people. "People are like, 'I need a work-life balance,'" he said. "If you want to work 9-to-5, you can have work-life balance. If you want to crush the game, whatever game you're in, there's somebody working 24 hours a day to kick your ass." Leon Cooperman encourages young workers to "love what you do," but remember there's more to life than work Billionaire investor and hedge fund manager Leon Cooperman said in a recent interview with Business Insider that there's more to life than hustling. "I've been married 61 years to the same woman," he said, adding that his greatest success in life is that "my kids still come home." "Love what you do — it's too demanding and difficult not to," the Wall Street veteran said. "Pursue it with a passion," he continued. Cooperman said that while he spent 25 years at Goldman Sachs, it never felt like work because he enjoyed it so much. Jeff Bezos says work and life should form a circle, not a "balance" In 2018, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said that workers should aim for work-life harmony, not "balance," at an event hosted by Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer. Bezos also called the concept of work-life balance "debilitating" because it hints that there's a trade-off. Bezos said that it's not a work-life balance, but "it's actually a circle." Bezos said that if he feels happy at home, then it energizes him and makes him more productive at work, and vice versa. Satya Nadella thinks you should focus on "work-life harmony" Microsoft 's CEO also thinks that "work-life balance" isn't the goal. Instead, he says to focus on work-life "harmony." In 2019, he shared his thoughts with the Australian Financial Review, saying he used to think that he needed to balance relaxing and working. But he's since shifted his approach, aligning his "deep interests" with his work. TIAA's CEO thinks the entire concept is a "lie" "Work-life balance is a lie," TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett said in a 2023 fireside chat. Brown Duckett has previously said she used to struggle with guilt and balancing her demanding job with being a mother. Brown Duckett says that she views her life as a "portfolio," and that she takes time to perform different roles like mother, wife, and business executive. Though she may not always physically be with her children, she says she strives to be fully present during the time she is able to spend with them. Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt said work-life balance was why Google was behind in AI — then walked back the comments Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt criticized Google's remote work policy and work-life balance during a lecture at Stanford University in 2024, saying these were contributing factors to the company trailing behind startups like OpenAI on artificial intelligence. "Google decided that work-life balance and going home early and working from home was more important than winning," the former Google exec said in a recording of the lecture that was posted online in August. "And the reason the startups work is because the people work like hell." He added that those looking to start successful companies today are "not going to let people work from home and only come in one day a week if you want to compete against the other startups." After his comments gained attention, Schmidt walked back the comments. Arianna Huffington says you shouldn't have to choose between work and life Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global and HuffPost, told Great Place to Work that we shouldn't view productivity and relaxation as two opposing forces. Huffington said that when one area of your life improves, the other does as well. Huffington said employees should focus more on "work-life integration" since "we bring our entire selves to work." Still, Huffington believes that your personal life should always come first. "While work is obviously important and can give us purpose and meaning in our lives, it shouldn't take the place of life," she said. "Work is a part of a thriving life, but life should come first." Don't expect a work-life balance if you work for Elon Musk Elon Musk is a known workaholic, and he expects those who work beneath him to be as well. In 2022, just after Musk took ownership of X, formerly Twitter, he sent out an email to employees telling them to either dedicate their lives to working or leave the company. Musk reportedly made X employees work 84 hours a week. While some people think remote work improved their work-life balance, Musk has often criticized it and called it "morally wrong." According to Walter Isaacson's biography of him, Musk would stay at the office overnight and shower at the YMCA when he joined the workforce in 1995. Musk has continued the habit while working at Tesla and buying Twitter, often spending the night at work. In 2018, Musk said that he works 120 hours a week, amounting to 17 hours a day. Jack Ma has also actively endorsed long work hours One of China's richest men, Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma in 2019 expressed his support for the controversial "996" work system in many Chinese workplaces, which refers to working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. He's called "996" culture a "huge blessing" for younger workers. "Many companies and many people don't have the opportunity to work 996," he said in 2019. "If you don't work 996 when you are young, when can you ever work 996?" "If you find a job you like, the 996 problem does not exist," he added. "If you're not passionate about it, every minute of going to work is a torment."
Business Journals
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Journals
AI, scams upend job market; discrimination against LGBTQIA+ workers
In this edition of The Playbook, we take a look at why some business leaders say discrimination against LGBTQIA+ workers has become more common, how AI and scams are upending the job market, and more.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
"There is no balance..." Shark Tank star Mark Cuban on why work-life balance doesn't exist
Billionaire investor and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban has rejected the concept of work-life balance for ambitious professionals, arguing that true success requires round-the-clock dedication and sacrifice. "There is no balance," Cuban told Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons during a recent episode of Sports Illustrated's "The Playbook" series. "People are like, 'I need a work-life balance.' If you want to work 9-to-5, you can have work-life balance. If you want to crush the game, whatever game you're in, there's somebody working 24 hours a day to kick your ass." The former Shark Tank investor, worth $5.7 billion according to Forbes, practiced what he preaches during his early entrepreneurial years. Cuban revealed he "didn't take a vacation for the next seven years" after launching his first technology company, MicroSolutions , at age 24. "I was broke as f-ck, where else was I going to go?" Cuban explained, describing his living situation at the time as sharing a "nasty" three-bedroom apartment with five roommates. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Romsey: If You Were Born Between 1940-1975 You Could Be Eligible For This Life Cover Reassured Get Quote Undo Cuban's extreme work ethic paid off with multi-million dollar success The intense focus proved profitable. During those seven vacation-free years, MicroSolutions grew to over $30 million in annual sales before Cuban sold the company to H&R Block for $6 million. "If I took the weekend, the whole thing could fall into the sh-tter," Cuban said, explaining his decision to work every day without breaks. Cuban's philosophy extends to modern workers, particularly in the AI era. "If I was 16, 18, 20, 21 starting today, I would spend every waking minute learning about AI," he said at SXSW earlier this year. "Even if I am sleeping, I am listening to podcasts talking about AI." When Parsons expressed his desire to work "non-stop," Cuban responded supportively: "That's not a sacrifice. That's doing you. Not doing it would be a sacrifice." His message remains consistent across platforms, including through his AI chatbot launched with MasterClass: "Work your ass off, learn everything you can, and stay adaptable." AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Mark Cuban says work-life balance doesn't exist 'if you want to crush the game'
Mark Cuban said work-life balance isn't possible for those who want to win in their field. The billionaire said there's always someone trying 'to kick your ass' in a recent video interview. Cuban said he didn't take a vacation for 7 years. Mark Cuban says work-life balance is great — if you're OK with not being the best. The billionaire and entrepreneur shut down the idea of a work-life balance for the most successful people on an episode of "The Playbook," a video series from Sports Illustrated and Entrepreneur. "There is no balance," Cuban told Micah Parsons, a 26-year-old linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys. "People are like, 'I need a work-life balance.' If you want to work 9-to-5, you can have work-life balance. If you want to crush the game, whatever game you're in, there's somebody working 24 hours a day to kick your ass." Parsons told Cuban he wanted to work "non-stop," even at a young age. To Cuban, that didn't seem like an issue. "That's not a sacrifice. That's doing you," Cuban said on the episode, which aired June 3. "Not doing it would be a sacrifice." The Shark Tank star said he didn't take a vacation for seven years after starting his first business in his mid-20s. All he did was "learn, learn, learn." Cuban is now worth $5.7 billion, according to Forbes, but he started his career learning how to code in a run-down apartment. Many Gen Zers today prioritize work-life balance and job flexibility, research indicates, even though the job market is increasingly tough for younger people. Some workers agree with Cuban's statements, but others have told Business Insider that his approach can lead to burnout and stress.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
This Shark Tank billionaire investor started first business at 24 and didn't take a vacation for 7 years, for one inspiring reason
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Mark Cuban No Time Off, No Regrets Rewriting the Rules of Success In a world increasingly drawn to the idea of 'work-life balance,' one man chose an unrelenting, all-in path—and it paid off in billions. Long before he became a household name on Shark Tank or owned an NBA franchise, he was just another 24-year-old with no money, no job, and a singular obsession: to build something of his man was Mark Cuban . In an interview for The Playbook, a video series by Sports Illustrated and Entrepreneur, published on June 3, Cuban reflected on the early years of his career. 'I didn't take a vacation for the next seven years,' he said. 'All I did was learn, learn, learn.' Fired from a computer software store and living in a cramped three-bedroom apartment with six roommates, Cuban launched his first company—MicroSolutions—with nothing but grit and an appetite for back, Cuban doesn't believe he could've achieved his level of success with a more balanced lifestyle. 'There is no balance,' he stated plainly. 'If you want to work 9-to-5, you can have balance. If you want to crush the game, whatever game you're in, there's somebody working 24 hours a day to kick your ass.'By 32, his first venture sold to CompuServe for $6 million. His next big leap, was acquired by Yahoo in 1999 for a whopping $6 billion—setting the foundation for what would become an empire. Today, Cuban has an estimated net worth of $5.7 billion, according to success for Cuban was never just about the money. After becoming a millionaire, he famously threw away his watch. As he shared during a SXSW panel in March 2024, the act was symbolic of reclaiming his time. 'I wanted to make enough money so I didn't have to respond to anybody else,' he said. 'I could make my own schedule and live my own life the way I wanted to do it.'In a February 2024 MasterClass, Cuban reiterated what he sees as the ultimate advantage: effort. 'The one thing in life you can control is your effort,' he noted. 'And being willing to do so is a huge competitive advantage, because most people don't.'
