Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary blasts 4-day week, says: We should let the French go to two-day workweek and then kick …
Shark Tank judge and millionaire Kevin O’Leary has dismissed the growing four-day workweek movement as “the stupidest idea I have ever heard,” arguing that the modern digital economy has already made traditional work schedules obsolete.Speaking on Fox News, the 70-year-old investor took particular aim at France’s exploration of shortened work weeks, suggesting a provocative alternative: “I think we should let the French go to a two-day workweek and then kick their ass internationally,” he spoke at a Fox TV show.
Digital economy has eliminated traditional boundaries
O’Leary contends that pandemic-era changes have fundamentally altered how work functions. “There’s no such thing as a workweek anymore anyway on a digital economy, post-pandemic,” he explained. With 40% of his staff working remotely worldwide, he focuses on project completion rather than hours clocked.“I don’t care when my staff does their work—as long as it gets done on time,” O’Leary said, acknowledging that while he opposes mandated four-day weeks, the traditional 9-to-5 model is equally outdated.
Companies report positive results from flexible schedules
Despite O’Leary’s skepticism, numerous organizations are seeing benefits from shortened workweeks. Performance coaching company Exos implemented a four-day schedule for its 3,500 employees, resulting in 24% increased productivity and halved burnout rates.The trend has gained executive attention, with 30% of CEOs now considering organization-wide schedule shifts, according to KPMG survey data. International governments are also experimenting—Tokyo’s metropolitan government recently introduced four-day options to address population decline and improve work-life balance.“We must build a society where everyone can balance work and family life, and one step forward is the four-day workweek,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told Fortune.Research supports worker interest, with 77% of employees saying a four-day workweek would favorably impact their wellbeing, even if maintaining 40 total hours, according to Gallup polling.
