Cerebras CEO expresses disbelief that individuals believe working 38 hours a week results in greatness.

      **Summary:** Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman believes that achieving work-life balance is incompatible with building something remarkable, stating, “It’s every waking minute.” Cerebras is currently valued at $49.5 billion, and Feldman aligns with other executives like Sergey Brin and Meta’s Andrew Bosworth in advocating for longer work hours.

      Feldman, the cofounder and CEO of the AI chip firm Cerebras, described it as “mind-boggling” that individuals think they can reach greatness while only working 38 hours a week. On the 20VC podcast, he remarked, “The idea that one can create something exceptional by maintaining a 38-hour workweek and a work-life balance is utterly astonishing to me.” He emphasized that building something significant requires full commitment, stating, “It’s every waking minute.”

      Currently, Feldman leads a company valued at around $49.5 billion. Earlier this year, Cerebras raised $5.55 billion in the largest tech IPO in the US since Snowflake, and its wafer-scale AI chips directly compete with Nvidia for data center applications. While Feldman acknowledged that it is possible for professionals to work 40 hours and still find happiness, he asserted that such individuals “won’t be the ones launching the next unicorn or rolling out generation-defining products.”

      His remarks are in line with a broader trend among AI leaders promoting similar viewpoints. Google cofounder Sergey Brin has urged employees to work 60 hours a week, while Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth suggested that productivity gains in AI should be redirected towards more work rather than additional time off, labeling requests for extra vacation days as “very dumb.” Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary stated that entrepreneurs should work “25 hours a day, 8 days a week.” This creates a consistent pattern where those with the most equity encourage those with the least to exert more effort.

      Feldman attempted to shift the narrative, stating, “It’s not about logging hours; it’s about being passionate and fully engaged in the work.” While this distinction holds some truth, it is also conveniently advantageous for business owners. For salaried engineers, being “consumed” by work without potential equity benefits presents a different scenario. Despite Cerebras doubling its revenue last quarter, the stock still declined, indicating that even a founder's passion does not always correlate with financial returns. The crux of the issue lies not in whether Feldman works harder than others, but in whether the idea of “every waking minute” serves as a philosophy or a job requirement, along with who gets to make that determination.