The job requirements are straightforward if not hellacious: Work at the office in person from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Be available “around-the-clock,” including nights and weekends if needed. Oh, and you must maintain this schedule for three years.
So goes the criteria for a role working as chief of staff to Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, the renowned venture firm that’s backed companies including OpenAI, Stripe and DoorDash.
“If you need predictable hours, a defined playbook, or frequent
The job requirements are straightforward if not hellacious: Work at the office in person from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Be available “around-the-clock,” including nights and weekends if needed. Oh, and you must maintain this schedule for three years.
So goes the criteria for a role working as chief of staff to Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, the renowned venture firm that’s backed companies including OpenAI, Stripe and DoorDash.
“If you need predictable hours, a defined playbook, or frequent direction, this isn’t for you,” wrote Ryan Batra, a vice president of talent at Khosla, in a LinkedIn post about the role.
The chief of staff job listing is either an “amazing opportunity” or indentured servitude, depending on whom you ask. Matteo Franceschetti posted on X that he would take the job himself if he weren’t busy running sleep-technology startup Eight Sleep. The entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian wrote that the job with Khosla was a role that could change someone’s life.
Silicon Valley has always been known for the rise and grind. But the AI era is pushing the tech industry’s work ethos to new, more visible heights. Rather than something to be played down, working yourself to the bone is to be bragged about—and advertised for up front.
“It’s saying the quiet part out loud,” says Margaret O’Mara, a professor of history at the University of Washington who writes and teaches about the high-tech economy.
Young AI founders have embraced the so-called 9-9-6, claiming to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week. Corgi, an insurance startup, has asked some candidates to participate in multiday work trials, sometimes on weekends, to test their stamina. Startup LemonLime earlier this year offered interviews to anyone at a networking party willing to get inked with a company tattoo. (There was no guarantee of a job, though.)
Some saw Khosla’s list of requirements, including the minimum 12-hour days, as emblematic of today’s no-hire job market, where employers can flex their power—and be explicit in their demands.
“This is the right time for him to be asking for this type of person. Otherwise, these people might have had a lot more options,” said Raheela Anwar, a longtime corporate adviser and president and CEO of Group 360 Consulting.
Candidates must consider whether putting up with Khosla’s demands will pay off longer term through opportunities that could follow, she added.
“It isn’t the job,” Anwar said. “It’s the exit that is making this attractive.”
The chief of staff role has long been a fast track to top positions, making it attractive to high achievers anyway. The job typically requires a mix of both grunt work—sitting in meetings and writing briefs—along with higher-level strategy tasks. Executives usually prefer to hire someone internally, tapping a trusted lieutenant proven at navigating an organization.
Khosla’s job description notes the chief of staff will serve as a “thought partner,” evaluating possible investments, working with portfolio companies and building relationships.
“You won’t know every field I work in,” wrote Vinod Khosla in a post to X about the person who will ultimately work for him. “What matters is how quickly you learn, the questions you ask, and whether you can think from first principles.”
The job often draws those wanting an up-close view into how an executive operates, even if it requires working around the clock. Jason Fried, the co-founder and CEO of software company 37signals, generally opposes the excesses of tech hustle culture. But he didn’t take issue with Khosla’s job posting. “The expectations are very clear,” he said.
“If I was 25,” he added, “maybe it’d be the best thing in the world.”
As to whether the pay is commensurate with the required work commitment, only Khosla Ventures knows: It didn’t include a salary range in the posting. Based on early interest, Khosla expects more than 1,000 applications, a spokeswoman said.
Late Friday, Vinod Khosla clarified a few details in a post to X: “Jokes aside honest truth is this job has no specific hours requirement but is intense. I work 80 hours/week and this person needs to keep up.”
Khosla alumni say the experience alone is worth the job.
“Can’t express enough how amazing of a learning experience this is,” Hesam Motlagh, a startup founder and adjunct professor at Stanford University, wrote on LinkedIn.
Motlagh would know: He was in the role from 2021 to 2023.
Write to Katherine Bindley at katie.bindley@wsj.com and Chip Cutter at chip.cutter@wsj.com
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