23-year-old CEO sparks backlash with 9-9-6 work culture push in Silicon Valley

By Phong Ngo September 18, 2025 | 06:33 pm PT

Daksh Gupta, 23, the Indian-origin CEO of San Francisco-based AI startup Greptile, has faced criticism for promoting a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week culture with “no work-life balance.”

Speaking to The San Francisco Standard, Gupta described his company’s ethos as "no drinking, no drugs, 9-9-6, lift heavy, run far, marry early, track sleep, eat steak and eggs," Times of India reported.

The Georgia Tech graduate has previously told candidates that joining Greptile means "no work-life balance," with workdays often running from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays mandatory, and Sundays sometimes included, according to India Today.

Gupta defends the regimen as essential discipline for early-stage startups, saying 9-9-6 routines can "compress months of iteration into weeks." He added that such intensity should last no longer than one or two years.

He also said he seeks employees willing to embrace the schedule, calling it key for companies to achieve "escape velocity." In his view, when two teams have the same potential, the one that "works harder and gets luckier" will succeed, DNA India reported.

Daksh Gupta, 23, the Indian-origin CEO of San Francisco-based AI startup Greptile. Photo courtesy of Gupta's Instagram

The 9-9-6 culture first rose to prominence in China, with Alibaba founder Jack Ma as its leading advocate. Companies such as ByteDance, JD.com, and Huawei once adopted the practice. However, it triggered strong backlash, including the "ICU GitHub protest," which warned such schedules risk sending employees "to the ICU."

Critics argue Gupta’s philosophy clashes with Gen Z’s focus on work-life balance, shaped by watching previous generations struggle with burnout. They also question whether such intensity is sustainable, saying it leaves little time for recovery.

Gupta co-founded Greptile in 2022 with Soohoon Choi and Vaishant Kameswaran after securing a US$100,000 investment from billionaire Christopher Klaus, according to India Today. The company, which builds AI tools for code review, has since raised US$5.3 million in seed funding.

Now based at San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid, Greptile remains a small startup. Gupta has said he shares the same burdens as his team and is the lowest-paid employee despite being CEO.