Investor Kevin O'Leary stated that work-life balance is not realistic during a startup's initial 36 months. He made these remarks on Harvard Business School's The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by Reza Satchu.

"This concept in the founder years, which I call the first 36 months, the idea of balance is complete bullshit," O'Leary said. "There is no balance. You have to work 25 hours a day, eight days a week because some guy in Mumbai or Shanghai is going to kick your ass." He added, "It's a global competition. Whatever your idea is, there's somebody else with the same idea." O'Leary noted that successful founders he has invested in are "ferocious." "The founders that understand that sacrifice at the beginning is part of the price you pay, there is no balance. And so the ones that are successful in my book—the ones I've invested in—are ferocious," he said.

O'Leary, who sold his company SoftKey to Mattel for $4.2 billion in 1999, discussed personal sacrifices made during his career. "I wouldn't say I'm the best father, because I was never around," O'Leary said. He stated that his marriage included a two-year separation, after which he and his wife mended their relationship. He indicated that divorce can lead to financial loss due to asset liquidation and taxes. "Think of the geometric loss of wealth. Every time you get divorced, you pay the woman you divorced or the man and you pay the government a third, often, through capital gains and liquidation because you can't separate all the assets without liquidating them sometimes," he said.

O'Leary agreed with Satchu on the importance of a stable family unit for founders building an ambitious company. He stated that people in a founder's life, including family, become more appreciated later on. "You do. You may not think that at the beginning, but you do. And you really only appreciate them later. That's the whole point," O'Leary said. He also clarified his approach to professional relationships, stating that colleagues do not need to be friends, but must respect their leader. "I don't think people you work with need to be your friends. They have to respect you, and you have to lead them forward on their careers, make them money, and help them achieve their goals," he said.

O'Leary said he does not prioritize likability, viewing it as irrelevant to success. "I don't spend a lot of time on likability, I don't care about that. It seems so irrelevant. If you spend your time worrying about that, you're going to fail for sure, because you're going to miss the signal," he said. "The signal is not having everybody like you—that has nothing to do with success...You can't worry about whose feelings you bruise. You've got to get it done." LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman echoed this view, stating, "If I ever hear a founder talking about, 'This is how I have a balanced life,' they're not committed to winning."

No independent assessment of Kevin O'Leary’s claims was available.