LinkedIn Founder Sparks Debate

By Fnf Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 04, Apr 2025, 18:42 pm IST | UPDATED: 04, Apr 2025, 18:42 pm IST

New Delhi: Co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman is making headlines for his old comments about work culture at the company’s early stage. He revealed that employees were expected to have dinner with their families–then get back to work from home. The resurfaced remarks have sparked debate online and many questioned his views on work-life balance in startups.

While speaking on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, Reid Hoffman shared his thoughts on startup culture, saying, “Work-life balance is not the startup game, so when we started LinkedIn, we started with people who had families, so we said sure they go home, have dinner with your family, then after your dinner with your family, open up your laptop and get back into the shared work experience and keep working.

Reid Hoffman disagreed when the interviewer pointed out that today’s work culture might view the lack of work-life balance as harsh. He said that people who think that way don’t fully understand how startups operate. According to Hoffman, building a startup takes intense effort and commitment and those who aren’t ready to put in the work may find it hard to keep their jobs over time.

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman believes that work-life balance doesn’t fit into the startup world. Speaking to Stanford’s “How to Start a Startup” class back in 2014, he said, “If I ever hear a founder talking about, 'this is how I have a balanced life' they're not committed to winning.” Even with the rising focus on workplace wellness since the pandemic, Hoffman’s stance on the all-in startup mindset hasn’t changed.

“Work-life balance is not the start-up game,” Reid Hoffman said during his appearance on The Diary of a CEO podcast. Defending his view, the LinkedIn co-founder pushed back against critics, saying, “The people that think that's toxic don't understand the start-up game, and they're just wrong. The game is intense. And by the way, if you don't do that, eventually, you're out of a job.” Hoffman also highlighted the rewards of this demanding lifestyle, noting that around 100 early LinkedIn employees “don’t need to work anymore” thanks to the company’s success.