Daksh Gupta, a 23-year-old Indian-origin entrepreneur based in the United States, has once again found himself at the center of an online debate—this time for strongly advocating the 9-9-6 work culture (working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week). Gupta is the co-founder and CEO of Greptile, an AI startup headquartered in San Francisco, and is fast becoming one of the most polarizing voices in Silicon Valley’s startup ecosystem.
A Familiar Name in Online Debates
This is not the first time Gupta has gone viral. In 2025, he faced significant backlash after openly supporting 14-hour workdays, a stance he continued to defend despite criticism from employees, founders, and work-life balance advocates. More recently, Gupta reignited the controversy by claiming that many Silicon Valley tech professionals prefer working 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Speaking to The San Francisco Standard, Gupta described what he sees as a growing mindset among young tech founders and engineers.
“The current vibe is no drinking, no drugs, 9-9-6, lift heavy, run far, marry early, track sleep, eat steak and eggs,” he said, while discussing why some young professionals feel disconnected from counterculture events like Burning Man.
The publication described Gupta as the “poster child of the AI boom’s grindcore culture”, a label that has since been widely shared on social media.
Who Is Daksh Gupta?
Daksh Gupta is the Indian-origin, US-based co-founder and CEO of Greptile, an AI startup that focuses on automated code review and bug detection. He is currently 23 years old and lives in San Francisco.
Gupta graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile. Early in his career, he interned at major tech companies including Qualcomm and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Building Greptile
Since July 2023, Gupta has been working full-time on Greptile, an AI-powered platform designed to help developers identify bugs and issues in their code. The startup has drawn strong investor interest and is backed by prominent names such as Y Combinator, Initialized Capital, Paul Graham, and SV Angel++, according to information shared on Gupta’s website.
A Hardline View on Work Culture
Gupta has been explicit about his expectations from employees—and unapologetic about them. He has repeatedly stated that he does not believe in traditional work-life balance.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gupta wrote last year:
“Recently I started telling candidates right in the first interview that Greptile offers no work-life-balance. Typical workdays start at 9 a.m. and end at 11 p.m., often later, and we work Saturdays, sometimes also Sundays.”
In more recent job listings, Gupta has also clarified that Greptile employees must work from the San Francisco office, with no option for remote work.
Mixed Reactions Online
While some admire Gupta’s discipline, ambition, and focus, others have criticized his views as promoting burnout and an unhealthy startup culture. His outspoken stance has made him a frequent topic of debate, particularly among younger professionals navigating the balance between ambition and personal well-being.
Love him or loathe him, Daksh Gupta represents a growing faction of tech leaders who believe relentless effort is the price of success in the AI-driven startup world—and his ideas are likely to remain in the spotlight.
