Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff isn't one of those entrepreneurs telling you to wake at 4 a.m. to get ahead.
Justin Sullivan
As it turns out, you don't always need to sacrifice your sleep schedule to make it big. Just ask Marc Benioff.
Benioff, the billionaire CEO of Salesforce, recently shared some details about his routine in an interview with GQ. He spoke about his sleep schedule and how he uses meditation to get into a more zen headspace.
Benioff said that he averages about eight hours of sleep a night.
Though some business leaders swear they can survive on half the amount of sleep, Benioff isn't one of them. Asked about the entrepreneurs who say they get only four hours of sleep a night, Benioff quickly batted the idea down.
"No, I don't think that's generally a good idea. Based on the medical research," he told GQ.
Some other executives, like former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, former Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi, and former General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt have previously said they average about 4-6 hours of sleep a night. Former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump have also spoken about not sleeping very much most nights.
Four to six hours is about half the amount of recommended sleep for an average adult — seven to nine hours. Sleep deprivation can lead to issues like impaired cognitive function, a weakened immune system, and weight gain.
Benioff also has a strict meditation routine that he's been dedicated to since 1992, according to GQ. He also spoke about his meditation habit in 2005 with SFGate.
Benioff told GQ that he starts his day off by meditating for 30-60 minutes. He said that he uses it as a way to help manage his stress.
He is such a big fan of meditation that he encourages his employees to partake by having meditation rooms on every floor at a Salesforce building in San Francisco.
Benioff has worked closely with monks and nuns from Plum Village in France, even going so far as to inviting them to stay at his San Francisco home in 2015. He relies on the monks for guidance and credits them for the idea of incorporating meditation spaces into Salesforce.
Though Benioff may seem to have his wellness routine down perfectly, he's still open to changing it up. Benioff said that he still sleeps with his phone on his bedside table, but when told by the interviewer that using your phone before bed can cause negative health effects, he said "I'll move it."
