By News18

Copyright news18

Hustle culture is back in the spotlight after Cyrus Shirazi, CEO of Haven, a finance and accounting firm, shared a story about his team working late into the night to help a client. According to Shirazi, his employees stayed up until 2 AM on a weekend to fix a startup’s messy financial records, ensuring the company could attend a crucial board meeting and secure important funding.
While some social media users praised the team’s dedication and efficiency, others criticised the CEO for seemingly bragging about their exhaustion. Many questioned whether such extreme work should be celebrated, raising concerns about the pressure placed on staff to meet client demands.
Team Stays Up To Save Startup Funding
Taking to LinkedIn, Cyrus Shirazi wrote, “My team worked until 2 AM to save a client’s Series A. Last Friday at 6 PM, we got an emergency call from a startup. ‘Our bookkeeper just went MIA. We have a board meeting Monday morning and need our financials cleaned up. Can you help?’ Most accounting firms would say, ‘We’ll get to this next week.’ Our team said, ‘We’ll handle it tonight.’”
“Daniel Laufer, CPA, worked until 2 AM Friday night: Reconciled 3 months of messy books, built a clean P&L and cash flow statement, Created a board-ready financial summary. Monday morning: The startup’s board meeting went perfectly. They secured their Series A funding. This is what customer obsession looks like at Haven. We don’t just provide accounting services. We provide peace of mind,” the CEO added.

Social Media Divided Over Extreme Work Hours
Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “So basically you work your employees to the point of total exhaustion to meet clients’ insane demands? Is that something to brag about? Was Daniel rewarded for it, or did you give him pizza in the office?”
Another shared, “As a former entrepreneur, this is what takes a company to the next level. Very few companies are willing to get their hands dirty like this, and clients never forget that. It isn’t scalable, but it’s so fulfilling when you can make it happen.”
“Ok, but did u pay him OT? He saved ur a**, I hope you paid him in more than just kind words,” a comment read.
An individual stated, “Wow, jumping in at the last minute like that says a lot about your team’s commitment.”
Another mentioned, “You can’t put a price on peace of mind, way more important than the numbers.”
One more added, “Startup, ‘We don’t really know what we’ve been spending our money on for the past quarter, nor a clear view of our P&L, but good news, we worked the weekend to sort it out’.”
When US Millionaire Bryan Johnson Criticised 4 AM Work Culture
Earlier, US millionaire Bryan Johnson responded to an Indian entrepreneur who shared a photo of tech workers working late at night. While the entrepreneur praised the team for coding until the early morning, Johnson disagreed. He criticised the 4 AM work culture, stating that staying up so late for work is harmful to health and not heroic.

It may feel heroic but you’re spending down your human capacity. That posture reduces brain oxygen by 30%. The blue light suppress melatonin, fragments deep-sleep, blunts next-day insulin sensitivity. The missed sleep raises cortisol, increases visceral-fat and decays memory.
— Bryan Johnson (@bryan_johnson) May 25, 2025

Bryan Johnson explained that working late at night, especially while sitting in poor posture, can be very harmful to the body. It can reduce oxygen supply to the brain, disrupt deep sleep, and disturb the natural sleep cycle. Additionally, exposure to screens and blue light at night makes it harder for the body to rest properly.