Entrepreneur Daksh Gupta, CEO of San Francisco-based AI startup Greptile, has ignited a firestorm of debate after candidly sharing his company’s high-intensity work culture. In a viral tweet, Gupta described an 84-hour work week, minimal work-life balance and weekend shifts, prompting reactions from scathing criticism to overwhelming job applications.

Gupta’s transparency, while aimed at attracting like-minded candidates, provoked a polarizing response online. “At Greptile, work-life balance does not exist,” he wrote. “Typical working days start at 9 a.m. and end at 11 p.m., often later. Saturdays and sometimes Sundays are also working days. Transparency is key, and I’d rather candidates know ahead of time than find out on day one.” His post quickly racked up over 1.6 million views, with users calling out the culture as exploitative.

Critics accused Gupta of glorifying overwork, with one user asking: “Why would anyone choose to work twice as hard without fair compensation?” Others pointed to risks of burnout and questioned whether such hours really produced productivity gains. However, Gupta stood his ground and clarified that the intense pace was a short-term strategy during the start-up’s basic stage. “This isn’t forever,” he tweeted, “it’s the gate necessary in our current phase.”

Amid the backlash, Gupta revealed the extent of the response in a follow-up post: “Now that my inbox is 20% death threats and 80% job applications, here’s some context.” He explained that Greptile’s employees were free to leave at any time, and many had left cushy six-figure jobs for the challenge and vision of the startup.

Gupta also addressed the racial animosity his posts sparked, particularly comments linking his leadership style to Indian work culture. “This is not about being Indian,” he argued. “It’s about being a San Franciscan startup founder.”

Despite the storm of criticism, Gupta’s freewheeling approach to transparency has struck a chord with some, highlighting the stark divides in how the modern work-life balance is perceived in a world fueled by stress culture.