Renowned angel investor and entrepreneur Naval Ravikant is setting a demanding and relentless pace at his new venture, the Impossible Computer Company, stating an expectation that his employees dedicate themselves to their work "24/7." During an on-stage appearance at Internapalooza 2025, the co-founder of AngelList articulated a work philosophy that stands in stark contrast to the growing discourse on work-life balance within the tech industry. Ravikant's approach champions an all-encompassing commitment to the company's mission, an ethos he not only expects from his team but also upholds for himself. This intense standard is coupled with a significant strategic shift in his management style, where he now embraces firing employees "much faster" than in his previous companies, creating a high-stakes, high-reward environment aimed at groundbreaking innovation in the competitive artificial intelligence sector.

The core of Ravikant's new management doctrine is the belief that a small, hyper-dedicated team can achieve extraordinary results. He revealed that his San Francisco-based company has fewer than 20 employees, all working in-person to foster a deeply collaborative and focused atmosphere. "I expect them to always 24/7 be either working or thinking about work because that's the same bar I hold myself to," Ravikant stated.[1] This philosophy is underpinned by a clear transactional expectation: exceptional compensation for unparalleled output. His formula is to "pay twice as much but expect 10 times the output."[1] This model seeks to attract a specific type of individual, one who is obsessively driven by the problem the company is trying to solve. In his view, this isn't about logging hours for the sake of it, but about a continuous, immersive engagement with the work, akin to an artist or a scientist consumed by their breakthrough project. This "marathon of sprints" approach, as he has described his ideal work style in the past, involves intense periods of focused work followed by rest and reassessment, rather than a sustained, monotonous grind.[2]

Complementing his expectation of total immersion is a newfound swiftness in personnel decisions. Ravikant admitted that he now fires people "much faster" than he did in his earlier ventures, a practice he views as essential for maintaining the high-caliber team required for ambitious projects.[1] This isn't necessarily about ruthlessness, but rather about fit and efficiency. Ravikant has previously been quoted as saying that the secret to business success is not just hiring the right people, but firing the wrong fits quickly and humanely until you end up with the right team.[3] In the context of his new startup, this translates to a slow, deliberate hiring process, resisting new hires until absolutely necessary, and then acting decisively when an employee does not meet the exceptionally high bar.[1] This approach is rooted in the belief that small, agile teams are the future of business, and that large corporations often retain significant bloat, with many employees not being essential to core operations.[4][5] By keeping his team lean and composed solely of top-tier talent, Ravikant aims to maximize agility and focus on the company's objectives.

The implications of Ravikant's explicitly demanding work culture reverberate through an AI industry already known for its intensity. In a field defined by rapid advancements and fierce competition for talent and breakthroughs, some may see his approach as a necessary blueprint for success. The logic follows that building foundational AI models or truly disruptive applications requires a level of dedication that cannot be confined to a traditional 9-to-5 schedule. However, this philosophy runs counter to a broader movement in the technology sector advocating for sustainable work practices, mental health awareness, and the prevention of burnout. Critics of such high-pressure environments argue they can stifle creativity in the long run, lead to a lack of diversity, and create toxic workplaces. Ravikant’s model, which self-selects for individuals who thrive on intense, all-consuming work, could be seen as a throwback to an earlier era of startup culture, potentially alienating a large portion of the talent pool that seeks greater integration of work with other aspects of life.

In conclusion, Naval Ravikant's vision for the Impossible Computer Company represents a deliberate and uncompromising bet on a specific model of innovation. By combining expectations of round-the-clock dedication with a quick-to-fire management style and premium compensation, he is cultivating an elite, mission-obsessed team he believes is necessary to tackle monumental challenges in AI. This approach challenges prevailing trends toward work-life balance and raises critical questions about the human cost of technological progress. While some will view this as an inspiring call for deep, meaningful work and a recipe for building a legendary company, others will see it as an unsustainable and exclusionary culture. The success or failure of the Impossible Computer Company will serve as a prominent case study on whether this "24/7" work ethic is a catalyst for breakthrough innovation or a relic of a bygone startup era.