When LinkedIn co-founder told employees: Go home, have dinner with family, and then open laptops to …

During the early days of LinkedIn, co-founder Reid Hoffman wanted employees to continue working from home after having dinner with their families. "When we started LinkedIn, we started with people who had families. So we said, sure, go home have dinner with your family. Then, after dinner with your family, open up your laptop and get back in the shared work experience and keep working," former LinkedIn CEO Hoffman stated in a podcast appearance last year, highlighting his controversial stance on work-life balance for startup employees


Hoffman maintains that a relentless work ethic is non-negotiable for startup success. "If I ever hear a founder talking about, 'this is how I have a balanced life'—they're not committed to winning," Hoffman told Stanford University's "How to Start a Startup" class in 2014. Despite growing conversations about workplace wellness since the 2020 pandemic, Hoffman's position remains unchanged. "Work-life balance is not the start-up game," he said on the Diary of a CEO podcast.
Hoffman defends his perspective against critics, arguing that those who disagree fundamentally misunderstand startup realities. "The people that think that's toxic don't understand the start-up game, and they're just wrong," he said. "The game is intense. And by the way, if you don't do that, eventually, you're out of a job."
The LinkedIn founder points to significant financial rewards for those who embrace the grind. According to him, approximately 100 early LinkedIn employees "don't need to work anymore" following the company's success. Hoffman's approach to work schedules represents a glimpse into the demanding culture that helped build LinkedIn before Microsoft acquired it in 2016 for $26.2 billion.