In today’s corporate environment, many of us have felt the pressure of deadlines that demand constant alertness. Some jobs require employees to prioritize work over personal time, leading them to work during vacations, on commutes, or even at odd hours to meet targets and complete projects. A recent viral LinkedIn post has reignited the discussion on work-life balance.
Torrey Leonard, the co-founder and CEO of AI startup Thoughtly, shared a picture of his fellow co-founder Casey Mackrell working on his laptop during his wedding. In the post, Leonard explained that their company had just secured a new client with a two-week deadline for launching a project, and Mackrell’s wedding fell within this timeframe. “So, here he is wrapping up a pull request. At his own wedding. Congrats Casey—now please, go take some time off,” Leonard wrote.
The image, posted a day ago, quickly gained attention, sparking reactions and comments from users on LinkedIn.
Mackrell later clarified in the comments that he only worked for “two seconds” before returning to the celebration. Nonetheless, the photo ignited a debate on social media over the boundaries between work and personal life.
One user expressed their disapproval, commenting, “Utterly bizarre to post this. This is nothing to brag about. This guy is his laptop, working at his own wedding and you’re congratulating him? Dearie me. Completely tone deaf.”
Another user added, “It’s easy to lose track of priorities as a founder. This is a great example of that.” Others chimed in, questioning whether it was worse that Mackrell worked during his wedding or that the post was shared as an example of dedication: “I don’t know what’s worse: the people who asked him to work on his wedding or the fact it was posted on LinkedIn as somehow motivating.”
Further criticism followed, with one user remarking, “This is wildly embarrassing for you and your company,” while another said, “This isn’t the flex you think it is.”
One comment summed up the sentiment, stating, “People are really living a very depressing life,” and another user wrote, “I aspire to be the exact opposite of this guy in my career.”