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Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

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Re: Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

#102
post #59
post #51

Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square, 0 hours at life, daily. In other words Jack is free to do whatever he likes, but it is not a good example for most of us. I'll cite a very short poetry by a Sicilian poet called Salvatore Quasimodo: "Everyone stands alone on the heart of the earth / transfixed by a ray of sunshine / and it is suddenly night"

Can anyone from Square or Twitter confirm this work schedule?

I'm pretty familiar with Jack's situation. Yes, this is indeed true, now. For a time he was splitting one day on / one day off at each company.

Frankly, Jack has very little time outside of his work, but I wouldn't say that he doesn't have a life. His work is his life and they are closely intertwined. This is great, since it means he's quite passionate about both product sets and the quality of his companies' net output really shines, IMO.

The danger of this obsessive behavior though is that it can begin to warp ones perspective on others' work/life balance. Jack works like a dog because he's excited about what he does, so it seems to baffle him when those around him aren't equally excited and committed to their work as well.

In the case of Square, they've been very quick to fire anyone who isn't putting 80+% percent of their life into Square -- often with little warning or reason.

Dogma is dangerous.

Re: Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

#103

Good for him. Regardless of whether or not it's sustainable, I simply do not want that type of lifestyle. If I'm not as "successful" because of that, so be it.

I'd say "success" should be measured in more broad terms... "How much work do I put into my marriage/children/etc", "How much fun am I having?" etc I'd agree, his lifestyle seems as out of balance as someone who does no work at all.

What's interesting is that he could have cashed out after Twitter and led an incredibly entertaining and enjoyable life, but still chooses to push on further for more success, more challenges, etc to the extent that such a huge portion of his waking life is taken by "work" like this.

I could understand it (and put in a lot of hours myself) driving to get that first home run, but less so afterwards. I'd struggle to sit idle and travelling non-stop isn't the holiday everyone thinks it is, but my dream lifestyle definitely wouldn't involve 16 hour days once I had the means to pursue all my interests to a desired extent.

Re: Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

#104
post #102
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can anyone from Square or Twitter confirm this work schedule?

I'm pretty familiar with Jack's situation. Yes, this is indeed true, now. For a time he was splitting one day on / one day off at each company. Frankly, Jack has very little time outside of his work, but I wouldn't say that he doesn't have a life. His work is his life and they are closely intertwined. This is great, since it means he's quite passionate about both product sets and the quality of his companies' net out…

His work is his life and they are closely intertwined. This is great... IMO.

In the case of Square, they've been very quick to fire anyone who isn't putting 80+% percent of their life into Square -- often with little warning or reason.

What does this mean practically - that employees are expected to put 134 hours a week into working at Square? Or does sleep time not count against them, meaning they are expected to work only 89.6 hours a week? How many hours of sleep each night does Square recommend their employees get?

Re: Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

#105
post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty familiar with Jack's situation. Yes, this is indeed true, now. For a time he was splitting one day on / one day off at each company. Frankly, Jack has very little time outside of his work, but I wouldn't say that he doesn't have a life. His work is his life and they are closely intertwined. This is great, since it means he's quite passionate about both product sets and the quality of his companies' net out…

His work is his life and they are closely intertwined. This is great... IMO. In the case of Square, they've been very quick to fire anyone who isn't putting 80+% percent of their life into Square -- often with little warning or reason. What does this mean practically - that employees are expected to put 134 hours a week into working at Square? Or does sleep time not count against them, meaning they are expected to wo…

No number is made explicit -- they can't really be demanding more than 40 hours / week for exempt employees in California. You're expected to "find your own work/life balance", but there is strong social pressure to stay in the office nights and weekends.

I would expect to work 70 - 80+ weeks there if you're really into it (and checking in / working at home in the evenings and mornings).

Re: Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

#106
post #25

That's impressive, but I can't understand how either of these companies are happy with that situation. It's like trying to argue a polygamist can be fully dedicated to both families.

Agreed, as a shareholder I'd also prefer to have a well rested CEO dedicated to just one company

Many employers have agreements prohibiting their employees from having other jobs. Most people can't work two full-time jobs productively.

Re: Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

#107
post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His work is his life and they are closely intertwined. This is great... IMO. In the case of Square, they've been very quick to fire anyone who isn't putting 80+% percent of their life into Square -- often with little warning or reason. What does this mean practically - that employees are expected to put 134 hours a week into working at Square? Or does sleep time not count against them, meaning they are expected to wo…

No number is made explicit -- they can't really be demanding more than 40 hours / week for exempt employees in California. You're expected to "find your own work/life balance", but there is strong social pressure to stay in the office nights and weekends. I would expect to work 70 - 80+ weeks there if you're really into it (and checking in / working at home in the evenings and mornings).

US employment law is nuts, here in NZ you'd have an amazingly hard time firing people who don't work the 80hr weeks you wish they did.

Re: Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

#109
post #5

That is simply unbelievable, but Im not sure you can sustain a healthy life with with 16 hour work days

I did 80+ hours per week for years in medical school, residency, and fellowship. Many people in medicine make a career of it. It's not as unusual as you think. There is certainly a fair argument to be made that it's not particularly healthy or a good idea, but I can assure you that for some people it's quite sustainable.

Good point. And if you look at the folks working in banking and management consulting, they'd laugh at the concept of a 9-5. 80+ hours / week is not that much of an outlier.

Re: Jack Dorsey does 8 hours at Twitter, 8 hours at Square daily

#110
post #89

Clever guy. First he builds Twitter to make sure all other entrepreneurs are busy checking their tweets. Then he starts another company without any competition.

He is joking people. And it is a good one. :-)

err.. the two comments below are also jokes! one is not so funny and the other is rather sad
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