Indian-Origin CEO Yamini Rangan Shares Why She Works On Sundays: "I Get To Decide..."

An Indian-origin CEO of a billion-dollar US tech company recently shared how she balances her work and personal life despite working on Sundays. Speaking on an episode of 'The Grit' podcast, HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan revealed that she takes a break on Friday nights and Saturdays and doesn't respond to any office work. She spends this time with her husband, who is a managing director with Goldman Sachs. However, Ms Rangan shared that she starts her week early and uses Sundays as her own personal work day. 

"I'm not scared of Sundays. I enjoy it because it's my time," said Ms Rangan, the CEO of the $34 billion software company. "I get to decide what I'm learning, what I'm doing, what I'm thinking, what I'm writing. It is completely my schedule," she said, per Fortune. 

Ms Rangan said that she struggles to sit still and take time away from work. But she added that she carves out Friday night and all of Saturday to take a break. During this time, she spends time with her husband, going on walks, doing yoga, meditating, and reading.

"Saturdays are precious to me," Ms Rangan said. "When I didn't take breaks, I got burned out pretty quickly," she added. 

The HubSpot CEO further shared that even though she works on Sundays, she doesn't expect her employees to respond to her emails. She spends time on Sundays scheduling emails that hit inboxes in the wee morning hours on Mondays.

Ms Rangan further revealed that she usually starts her weekdays around 6am and is on work calls by 7am. She also said that she works as late as 11pm. 

According to Fortune, Ms Rangan joined the marketing software company ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic. She became the CEO of HubSpot in September 2021. She has also served in leadership positions at other large firms, including Dropbox, Workday and SAP. 

Ms Rangan was born and raised in South India. She studied computer engineering at Bharathiar University and moved to the US at age 21 to earn her MBA from the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business. With a $26 million salary, she is one of the highest-paid Indian-origin CEOs in the US.