‘Burned-Out Founders Make Bad Decisions,’ Says Kevin O’Leary: Slams Hustle Culture, 18-Hour Workdays
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Shark Tank star and investor Kevin O’Leary is urging entrepreneurs to prioritize health, focus and productivity over marathon workdays, warning that exhaustion and burnout lead to poor decisions and can destroy businesses.
O’Leary Urges Entrepreneurs To Work Smarter, Not Longer
On Wednesday, O’Leary shared his perspective on X while posting a clip of his Fox News interview, reflecting on his own early career.
“I used to brag about working 18 hours a day, and I was wrong. When I was building my first companies, I thought exhaustion was a badge of honor. In reality, it was unhealthy and unproductive,” he wrote.
In the interview, O’Leary explained his shift in mindset: “I work harder than I ever have these days on all the things that I’m doing, but I’ve gone into a different metric. I want to be productive.”
He added, “7 hours, 20 minutes of sleep. My diet’s completely changed. I exercise every day for an hour and a half. I’m completely focused on productivity. I don’t make major decisions worth over a million bucks after 1:00 in the afternoon.”
He stressed the importance of healthy, focused leadership for long-term business success.
He wrote, “Burned out founders make bad decisions, and bad decisions destroy companies.”
“I don’t invest in exhausted founders. I invest in sharp, healthy, focused leaders who can win for decades, not just survive a year. That’s the new standard,” O’Leary added.
O’Leary On Smart Forecasting, Long-Term Wealth Building
Last week, O’Leary shared advice for entrepreneurs, cautioning that one of the quickest paths to early business failure was relying on overly optimistic financial forecasts, often called “hockey-stick” projections.
He urged founders to remain flexible, preserve cash and pivot as needed until a company’s real momentum becomes clear, emphasizing that cash flow and adaptability are critical to long-term survival.
O’Leary also backed a nationwide child investment policy proposed by the Trump administration, saying it could help fix America’s financial literacy gap.
He said the plan, known as the “Trump account,” would automatically invest money for children from birth and lock it in for 18 years, giving families a foundation for future wealth.
O’Leary described the proposal as bipartisan and pro-family, arguing it focused on opportunity and long-term financial independence rather than government dependence.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
