Here’s an interesting topic that most parents like myself can relate to — work-life balance. It becomes even more challenging if you lack support from your employer. Fast-forward, now with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), a lot of people have visibly been skeptical that it may replace their jobs one day, but it can’t replace the time you spend with your kids — even for those at the forefront of the AI push.
I’ll be a bit personal but honest here — I experienced it when I first joined a startup company — I started losing myself in my work and lost some great time with my family, which was wrong, and sadly, neither can I compensate for that lost time or get it back, but sometimes the pressure of trying to be a father and husband and trying to provide for your family at times becomes overwhelming. Anyone with young children and a super intense job can relate to that tension.
That’s not a justification I have given there, of course, it’s your duty as a father and husband to protect and provide for your family, but in all those experiences I have so far encountered, I am still not perfect though, because it’s a journey, I have learned to put my family first in all things that I do. So how can you balance the two — your work and family? Let’s discuss it!
Feeling like you’re drowning at work? As if your responsibilities are dragging you down and you’re unable to pull away? We’ve all been here, especially when working at startups, which demand long, grueling hours; vigorous productivity; and unwavering dedication. As your hope of ever escaping the vortex of your tasks and obligations fades away, you end up losing morale, feel disengaged from your work, and suffer from a lack of purpose and self-fulfillment.
In the fast-paced, dynamic world of startups, achieving work–life balance is often an uphill battle but one that can be won by conscious and focused effort. With a lot of time, practice, and thoughtful planning, you can stop work from taking over your life and lead a happier and more fulfilling life.
Dave Willner, the head of trust and safety at OpenAI, announced on Thursday in a LinkedIn post that he is stepping down from his executive role at the company to prioritize his work-life balance. The resignation, he said, was a “pretty easy choice to make.”
While Willner called his job leading OpenAI’s safety efforts “one of the coolest and most interesting jobs it’s possible to have today,” he said that it “had also grown dramatically in its scope and scale” since he joined the company in February 2022. He said it’s become “more and more difficult” to put his family’s needs ahead of his work ever since ChatGPT was launched last November.
Willner wrote in his LinkedIn post: “OpenAI is going through a high-intensity phase in its development — and so are our kids. Anyone with young children and a super intense job can relate to that tension, I think, and these past few months have really crystallized for me that I was going to have to prioritize one or the other.”
Willner said he will spend this summer teaching his kids how to swim and ride their bikes, and joked that he will get business cards with the title “Charlotte’s Official Hype Man,” referring to his wife and fellow trust and safety professional Charlotte Willner.
Willner’s announcement received support from his fellow tech professionals — including those in managerial roles at Meta, Google, and AirBnb —in the comments section of his LinkedIn post.
Commenters called Willner’s choice to step down “smart” and “inspiring,” and said he was “brave” for being open about his shifting priorities. “Thank you for being transparent about the need to balance family and work!” Vaishnavi J, the head of youth policy at Meta, wrote in a comment. “We need to hear more of this, especially from “husbands/dads.”
Willner is among a number of executives who have reassessed their relationships with their work, and as a result, stepped down from their roles to combat an unhealthy work-life balance
Still, while some C-suite leaders say they’re looking to embrace work-life balance, others say they seek work-life integration, or the ability to multi-task with personal responsibilities and work. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, rejects the phrase “work-life balance” altogether, as it implies a trade-off between life and work.
Regarding Willner’s resignation, an OpenAI spokesperson said, “His work has been foundational in operationalizing our commitment to the safe and responsible use of our technology, and has paved the way for future progress in this field.”
As for OpenAI’s now vacant role, the spokesperson said the company is “seeking a technically-skilled lead” to “advance our mission” of building AI that’s safe.
In the meantime, Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, will “directly manage” the trust and safety team, the spokesperson said. Willner “will continue to advise through the end of the year,” per OpenAI.
