OpenAI and Anthropic staffers traded posts about PTO after former policy head Miles Brundage argued rest matters. The debate highlights the intense work culture in the AI race, where 996 schedules and fear of falling behind are common.
A debate over vacation days broke out among AI lab employees this week after Miles Brundage, OpenAI's former head of policy research, posted about PTO on X. Staffers from OpenAI and Anthropic responded, some defending their time off, others questioning the culture.
One Anthropic staffer shared a trip to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. An OpenAI employee said the thread was "a sign that I should take some vacation." Leo Gao, an OpenAI researcher, said he has "always had a tendency to let my work consume my entire life" and felt at home at OpenAI.
OpenAI's Jason Liu asked Anthropic's Thariq Shihipar if he agreed. "Aren't you always on vacation," Shihipar replied.
Commenters also cited vacation culture at Meta and Google DeepMind. Alex Imas, DeepMind's director of AGI economics, wrote: "Having just transferred from academia I'm still trying to figure out what this 'vacation' thing is." Angel investor Kevin Wimer pointed to SpaceXAI: "I don't think they sleep."
The debate reflects the intense pressure in the AI race. Some software engineers adopt a 996 schedule – 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. AI engineers told Business Insider that keeping up feels like "drinking from a water hose, and the hose just keeps getting bigger."
Most tech workers have access to paid time off. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 95% of information workers have paid vacation. A 2025 Alliant survey found tech companies offer an average of 19.8 days of PTO. Taking them is another question.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in 2018 he was a "bad example of work-life balance." "I do try to take vacation," he told WIRED25. "But the rest of the time I just work."
Brundage said his main point was that "rest is important."
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