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Fortune
Fortune
Emma Burleigh

Billionaire bosses like Jeff Bezos and Reid Hoffman denounce work-life balance—and some think working nonstop is key to success

Left: Jeff Bezos. Right: Reid Hoffman. (Credit: Left: Eugene Gologursky / Stringer / Getty Images. Right: Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images)

Launching a billion-dollar business or rising to the top of the C-suite requires making some sacrifices, and oftentimes, downtime can be in short supply. CEOs are divided on how they feel about work-life balance, but many seem to take issue with the concept itself—and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is set on redefining the notion on his own terms. 

“I don’t love the word ‘balance’ because it implies a tradeoff,” Bezos said recently at Italian Tech Week. “I’ve often had people ask me, ‘How do you deal with work-life balance?’ And I’ll say ‘I like work-life harmony because if you’re happy at home, you’ll be better at work. If you’re better at work, you’ll be better at home.’ These things go together. It’s not a strict tradeoff.”

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