Investor Kevin O'Leary has dismissed France's shorter workweek as "the stupidest idea I have ever heard." However, several other leaders and tech executives believe artificial intelligence could soon make it a reality.
What Happened: O'Leary, known as "Mr. Wonderful" on Shark Tank, took to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday and criticized the push for a reduced workweek.
" I think we should let the French go to a two-day work week and then kick their a** internationally," said O'Leary.
He then said that the concept of the work week already doesn't work anymore because of the digital economy. "I look at my staff, 40% of them work remotely all around the world."
See Also: Barack Obama Once Said Work-Life Balance Isn’t Always Possible If You Want To Be Successful: ‘You Can Have It All--But You Can’t Have It All At Once’
"It’s project-based. Can you get it done by the 15th of June? Yes, I can. I don’t care when you do it, f- four-day, three-day, five-day," he concluded.
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Why It's Important: Earlier, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation advocating for a four-day, 32-hour workweek in the U.S., without any cuts to workers’ pay.
He said that although American workers are now more than 400% more productive than they were in the 1940s, many are putting in longer hours while earning comparatively less.
Billionaire Steve Cohen and Zoom CEO Eric Yuan previously expressed their belief that AI will enable shorter weeks by boosting productivity.
Even Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has said he believes a three-day workweek could be possible in the future thanks to automation.
Photo Courtesy: Kathy Hutchins on Shutterstock.com
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
