Gen Z may crave work-life balance, but they’d best forget trivia nights and weekend bar crawls—at least if they want to make it big in business. That’s the advice from Palantir CEO Alex Karp, whose company has surged to a market cap of more than $425 billion.
He says the secret to success for the youngest generation of workers won’t come from late nights out with friends but rather a laser focus on their career.
“I’ve never met someone really successful who had a great social life at 20,” Karp told the Economic Club of Chicago in an interview which is recirculating on social media right now.
“If that’s what you want, that’s what you want, that’s great, but you’re not going to be successful and don’t blame anyone else.”
While Karp’s comments may sting for young people wanting to enjoy life before they start thinking about buying a house or having children, he added that Gen Z do not necessarily have to give up on all their interests; rather, they just need to find a career that fuels them enough to skip some of the superfluous things.
“Most people have something they’re talented at and enjoy. Focus on that. Organize your whole life around that,” the 57-year-old said. “Don’t worry so much about the money—that sounds like hypocrisy now, but I never really did—and stay off the meth and you’ll do very well.”
Fortune reached out to Palantir for comment.
Palantir is the ‘best credential in tech,’ Karp says
Beyond skipping the social scene, Karp also questions the need for a degree at all. Despite holding three himself, he’s been outspoken about the failures of higher education.
“Everything you learned at your school and college about how the world works is intellectually incorrect,” Karp said to CNBC earlier this year.
Palantir is even putting money behind that belief. Earlier this year, the data software company established the Meritocracy Fellowship, a paid internship for high school graduates thinking about skipping higher education. However, applicants still need Ivy League-level test scores to qualify.
Even for those who do attend college, Karp insists the diploma holds little weight once they land a job at Palantir.
“If you did not go to school, or you went to a school that’s not that great, or you went to Harvard or Princeton or Yale, once you come to Palantir, you’re a Palantirian—no one cares about the other stuff,” Karp said during its Q2 2025 earnings call.
“This is by far the best credential in tech. If you come to Palantir, your career is set.”
Palantir has had a standout year, with its stock price climbing more than 130% since January.
Say goodbye to work-life balance on the journey to success
Even though Karp’s comments may spark debate, he’s not alone in his view that work-life balance is out of reach for those chasing top success.
For example, billionaire Scale AI cofounder Lucy Guo told Fortune earlier this year that she doesn’t have work-life balance simply because she loves what she does.
“I would say that if you feel the need for work-life balance, maybe you’re not in the right work,” she said.
Similarly, Khozema Shipchandler, the CEO of $16 billion communications company Twilio said he’s “never spoken to a peer” that isn’t working nearly all day—but it comes with sacrifices.
“Every one of us has to make certain work-life choices,” the Gen X boss told Fortune. “This work-life choice obviously has certain consequences. I wasn’t there for all of my son’s tennis matches.”
And even former President Barack Obama has admitted on the The Pivot Podcast that work-life balance cannot always be met.
“If you want to be excellent at anything—sports, music, business, politics—there’s going to be times of your life when you’re out of balance, where you’re just working and you’re single-minded.”
