Tech

O’Leary: 25-hour myth; 18-hour hustle a liability

Kevin O’Leary’s stance on startup hustle is flipping from 25 hours to a more sustainable pace. After years of touting 25-hour grinding as a path to success, he now says that bragging about 18 hours a day is stupid and that founders need sleep, nutrition, and exercise to make sharp decisions.

📅 February 01, 2026
⏱️ 2 min read
O’Leary: 25-hour myth; 18-hour hustle a liability

Key Takeaways

  • O’Leary previously argued success required 25 hours a day; now he says 18-hour hustle is stupid and a liability.
  • Major decisions should be made in the morning, when energy is highest, with a focus on rested judgment.
  • Overworked founders are bad bets; investors won’t fund visibly exhausted teams.
  • The shift mirrors a broader move toward sustainability and long‑term performance, with retail access to private markets via Fundrise and thematic ETFs from REX Shares.

People Involved

  • Kevin O’LearyInvestor, entrepreneur and TV personality

Entities Involved

  • FundrisePrivate-market investment platform with low minimums
  • REX SharesETF issuer offering thematic investment strategies

MarketMoodz Analysis

For investors, the pivot away from hustle culture matters because founder health and disciplined decision-making are increasingly part of due diligence. Signals from O’Leary—one of the most visible voices in startup investing—reinforce a trend toward teams that demonstrate structure, sleep, and clear decision protocols, potentially influencing term sheets and board decisions.

Historically, tech and startup fundraising rewarded relentless working hours, but the climate has shifted as capital allocators emphasize mental clarity and sustainability. The Benzinga framing of O’Leary’s comments aligns with multiyear moves among growth investors to value health metrics, energy management, and product viability over sheer hours logged.

What to watch next: whether O’Leary’s stance translates into measurable changes in founder health metrics or fundraising outcomes, and whether platforms like Fundrise and ETFs from REX Shares capitalize on this sentiment by attracting non-institutional capital to more sustainable strategies.

Source: Original Article

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