San Francisco, September 2025 – In a move that has reignited debates on Silicon Valley’s grind culture, 23-year-old Indian-origin entrepreneur Daksh Gupta—CEO of AI startup Greptile—has doubled down on a fanatical work ethos: 12- to 14-hour workdays, six days a week, with strict office-only attendance and zero tolerance for distractions or indulgences.
The New Hustle Manifesto
Gupta’s vision remains unwavering. He notes that the prevailing “vibe” in tech circles is a regimented one: “no drinking, no drugs, 9-9-6 [work from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week], lift heavy, run far, marry early, track sleep, eat steak and eggs.”
At Greptile—based in San Francisco’s iconic Transamerica Pyramid—remote work is out. Junior hires are promised base salaries between $140,000 and $180,000 plus equity ranging from $130,000 to $180,000; senior talent (7+ years experience) can earn $240,000 to $270,000 in base pay, along with benefits like free meals, transport, healthcare, and 401(k) matching.
A Steady Evolution of Extremes
This stance is not new for Gupta. As early as late 2024, he was already radicalizing startup culture with declarations like: “Greptile offers no work-life balance… typical workdays start at 9 AM and end at 11 PM, often later, and we work Saturdays, sometimes also Sundays.”
Even more shockingly, reports described employees routinely putting in 84-hour weeks, working 9 AM to 11 PM Monday through Saturday, sometimes spilling into Sunday, in the quest for “escape velocity.” Gupta defended the practice as transparent and upfront—“better that candidates know what they’re signing up for” than be blindsided on day one.
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Backlash, Burnout, and Defense
Public reaction to Gupta’s grind ideology has been swift—often brutal. Critics lambasted the culture as toxic, unsustainable, and reminiscent of modern-day exploitation. Some backlash turned personal, with Gupta claiming he received threats—but also a surge of job applications: “20% death threats and 80% job applications,” he quipped in response.
Acknowledging the ferocity of criticism, Gupta attempted to temper concerns, calling the 14-hour, high-stress routine a temporary, early-stage startup measure. “It isn’t supposed to be forever because it isn’t sustainable,” he explained, likening it to the push for “escape velocity” in his company’s infancy.
On cultural assumptions, Gupta asserted: “I am like this not because I’m Indian but because I’m San Franciscan.”
This Isn’t an Isolated Phenomenon
Gupta’s ethos exemplifies broader “grindcore” trends in post-pandemic Silicon Valley. Many founders are now working 13+ hours, six to seven days a week—prompted by the urgency of dominating in AI. This zeal has made in-office presence compulsory. Coworking operators have noted that in 2025, founders increasingly demand physical office settings—often scrappy, gritty environments reminiscent of the early startup trenches, rejecting hybrid or scenic spaces.
Historical Echoes and Global Resonance
Gupta’s approach aligns with age-old Silicon Valley hustle—but elevated. Back in 2019, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy sparked controversy urging 70-hour workweeks. More recently, Elon Musk claimed that 80-hour workweeks are a “sustainable baseline” for ambitious workers. Then came the 996 work culture out of China—9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week—a model Gupta openly invokes. The tension between ambition and wellbeing has been simmering for years; Gupta’s extreme unapologetic posture has simply stoked the embers.
Culture, Creativity, and the Vanishing Burning Man
Interestingly, Gupta links these shifts to cultural disengagement. He claims that Burning Man, once a festival staple for many techies, has become irrelevant in today’s optimization-obsessed crowd. The Silicon Valley youth, he suggests, prioritize routines—tracking sleep, lifting weights, disciplining diets—over communal art and creative play.
Weighing the Trade-Offs
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| High compensation | Burnout risk |
| Transparent expectations | Unsustainable lifestyle |
| Strong cultural alignment for some | Potential exploitation |
| Early-stage push can drive quick growth | Neglect of personal life, relationships, mental health |
For ambitious individuals, Gupta’s model may present itself as a rare opportunity: fast-paced growth, equity, and high salary. But others warn of personal costs and ethical implications of normalizing such excess in tech.
Conclusion: A Defining Moment for Work Culture?
Daksh Gupta stands at the leading edge of a gruelling push across Silicon Valley—one that glorifies hustle over harmony. His unapologetic, rigorous rules—no distractions, no breaks, just grind—have attracted both fervent admiration and widespread condemnation.
As the AI arms race intensifies, more startup founders might echo Gupta’s ethos—pushing long hours, demanding presence, offering bigger pay in return. The question remains: at what cost?
Is this just a momentum phase to be shed in later stages, or is a new, burnout-driven culture being cemented into the very foundation of innovation? Only time—perhaps with better mental health awareness, regulatory attention, and cultural reevaluation—will tell.
