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Business leaders love to debate the myth of work-life balance. But for Netflix cofounder Marc Randolph, the rule was simple: every Tuesday at 5 p.m., he walked out\u2014no matter what.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked hard, for my entire career, to keep my life balanced with my job,\u201d Randolph wrote in 2023 LinkedIn post that has recirculated on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor over thirty years, I had a hard cut-off on Tuesdays. Rain or shine, I left at exactly 5 p.m. and spent the evening with my best friend. We would go to a movie, have dinner, or just go window-shopping downtown together.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no question that it can be difficult for founders and CEOs to set strict work-life boundaries; sometimes they need to tune into late-night meetings with clients in different time zones, or feel that they should always be on call in times of business emergency. <\/p>\n
But even while serving as chief executive of $416 billion entertainment giant Netflix for seven years, Randolph stuck true to his Tuesday exception for the sake of his sanity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing got in the way of that,\u201d Randolph said. \u201cNo meeting, no conference call, no last-minute question or request. If you had something to say to me on Tuesday afternoon at 4:55, you had better say it on the way to the parking lot. If there was a crisis, we are going to wrap it up by 5:00.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose Tuesday nights kept me sane. And they put the rest of my work in perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why some CEOs think work-life balance is a myth<\/p>\n
There are many CEOs who put no limits on their professional lives, contrary to Randolph\u2019s work-life philosophy\u2014and they think it\u2019s essential to be successful. Lucy Guo, the cofounder of Scale AI, often starts her workday at 5:30 a.m. and will keep going until midnight. At just 30 years old, she became a self-made billionaire from her 5% stake in the $29 billion AI company. And she might not have reached those heights if it wasn\u2019t for her intense work ethic. <\/p>\n
\u201cI probably don\u2019t have work-life balance,\u201d Guo told Fortune last year, adding that those who chase it are probably in the wrong job. \u201cFor me, work doesn\u2019t really feel like work. I love doing my job\u2026I would say that if you feel the need for work-life balance, maybe you\u2019re not in the right work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew Feldman, the cofounder and CEO of $8.1 billion AI chip company Cerebras, said it\u2019s possible for workers to have a \u201cgreat life\u201d clocking in at 9 a.m. and heading out at 5 p.m. However, if they want to launch the next unicorn company or generation-defining product, they won\u2019t get very far working a traditional work schedule. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis notion that somehow you can achieve greatness, you can build something extraordinary by working 38 hours a week and having work-life balance, that is mind-boggling to me,\u201d Feldman said on the 20VC podcast in 2025. \u201cIt\u2019s not true in any part of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe path to build something new out of nothing, and make it great, isn\u2019t part-time work. It isn\u2019t 30, 40, 50 hours a week. It\u2019s every waking minute. And of course, there are costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
The case for clocking out<\/p>\n
Operating on hyperdrive with no breaks has become a badge of honor for CEOs\u2014but others warn against the grind. JPMorgan\u2019s Jamie Dimon encouraged\u00a0the up-and-coming generation of business leaders to break away from work for the sake of their relationships and well-being.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to have work-life balance,\u201d Dimon said to students at the Georgetown University Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy in 2024. \u201cWhat we tell our people at JPMorgan is you have to take care of your mind, your body, your spirit, your soul, your friends, your friends, your health. You really have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel isn\u2019t willing to overwork himself in the top role, either. <\/p>\n
Despite frequently traveling for business and having a \u201cminimum of 10 meetings per day,\u201d he fully uses up his PTO benefits each year. He\u2019s also made changes within the company to ensure that all employees of the $13.7 billion grocery store chain take all their days off by placing a cap on how many hours can be banked. Buechel told Fortune in 2024 it \u201creally forces people to make sure they are taking PTO\u2026and ultimately having a great work-life balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s important for me to help set that example.\u201d<\/p>\n
A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on November 7, 2025.<\/p>\n
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com<\/p>\n
#Netflix #cofounder #stopped #work #p.m #Tuesday #years #stay #sane #matter #crisis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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