What Shopify’s CEO Says About Long Working Hours

Shopify’s CEO, Tobi Lutke, might run a platform worth $200 billion, but he firmly believes in the importance of work/life balance. In 2019, he famously insisted that high performers could achieve greatness with 40-hour work weeks. But what happened next?

Efficiency Is More Important Than Time

Anyone who’s ever spent a workday on Facebook knows that efficiency trumps time. The real measure of success isn’t the number of hours you log, but how much you get done. Lutke worked a 40-hour week in 2019, insisting that sleep and sustainability were imperative for efficiency. These days, however, the Shopify CEO has changed his tune. He now works over 10 hours every day, citing the current tech landscape as too intensive for short work days. The president behind the Shopify web design team, however, disagrees.

Shopify Still Celebrates Efficiency

Shopify’s blog still encourages staff to work 40-hour work weeks. The Shopify web design team recently added a statement from the brand’s president, Harley Finkelstein. The quotation acknowledges that not every career can support a healthy work/life balance, but some of the highest performers in the world have 40-hour work weeks. Working long hours can lead to burnout and illness which, in turn, annihilates efficiency.

Long distance runners know the importance of pacing. Rushing forward at breakneck speed is a sure way to never meet the finishing line, and work is the same. Those who pace themselves will sustain their efficiency and avoid mistakes caused by exhaustion. You’re only as valuable as your best work after all.