In the high-stakes world of tech leadership, success often demands sacrifice. For Khozema Shipchandler, the 51-year-old CEO of Twilio, a $16 billion cloud communications giant it means waking up at 4:30 a.m., grinding until 9:30 p.m., and even squeezing in laps around the house to stay sharp. In an exclusive interview with Fortune, Shipchandler shared how his immigrant roots and relentless discipline propelled him from a fresh college grad to CFO of a multi-billion-dollar business by age 31, and now to the helm of Twilio. But is this intense CEO routine sustainable for everyone? Let's dive into his day-to-day life and what it reveals about achieving C-suite success in 2025.
Khozema Shipchandler's story is a classic tale of hard work paying off. Born to parents who emigrated from Mumbai to the U.S., he credits their “immigrant success story” ethos for instilling a drive to excel. “They really pushed working hard and playing hard which, by the way, I do play hard when I’m not working so that was the goal,” he told Fortune, emphasizing that he still makes time to "play hard" when off the clock.
After graduating from Indiana University Bloomington in 1996, Shipchandler kicked off his career at General Electric (GE), an industrial powerhouse. His early mornings starting while others partied set him apart. “I was kind of built that way,” he says. By 31, he was CFO of a multi-billion-dollar GE division. “If you were willing to put in the effort, they were willing to give you the opportunity,” he recalls.
Fast-forward to today: As Twilio's CEO, Shipchandler oversees a company with over 5,500 employees, specializing in customer engagement and communications tech. His path underscores a key belief: Discipline separates leaders from the pack, especially as Gen Z and millennials push for more flexible work cultures.
| Time | Activity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 4:30 a.m. | Wake-Up and Check-Ins | Scan Slack, emails, and texts for urgent issues. |
| 5:00 a.m. | Morning Fuel and Reflection | Coffee and smoothie; skim headlines. |
| 5:30 a.m. | Workout | Exercise while reflecting on priorities. |
| 7:30 a.m. | Official Start of Work | Begin work ahead of most engineers. |
| All Day | Focused Meetings | 25 minutes in 30-min slots or 50 minutes in an hour; laps around house between meetings. |
| 6:30 p.m. | Dinner Break | Dinner with family or customers (travels 75% of time). |
| 8:00 p.m. | Extra Work Sprint | Wrap-up tasks for an hour. |
| 9:00–9:30 p.m. | Wind-Down and Bed | SportsCenter if traveling; shows at home. |
| Weekend | Adjusted Routine | Sleep until 6:30 a.m.; Sundays often work-heavy; only 6–8 hours off on Saturdays. |
Wondering what running a $16 billion company really looks like? Shipchandler's routine is meticulously structured for maximum productivity. Here's a breakdown of his typical weekday:
4:30 a.m. Wake-Up and Check-Ins: The day begins with scanning Slack, emails, and texts for urgent "red hot" issues. This quiet time lets him tackle problems before the world wakes up.
Morning Fuel and Reflection: A quick coffee and smoothie breakfast follow, paired with skimming news headlines. Then, it’s straight to a workout—intentionally after emails so he can mull over the day’s priorities while exercising.
7:30 a.m. Official Start: He’s "at work" early, ahead of most Twilio engineers who roll in around 9 a.m.
All Day: Focused Meetings: Shipchandler keeps meetings short 25 minutes in a 30-minute slot or 50 minutes in an hour to "drive the ball forward." In those gaps? Quick laps around the house to blow off steam and keep energy high.
6:30 p.m. Dinner Break: Whether at home with family or on the road (he’s traveling 75% of the time), he pauses for a meal often with customers or leaders.
8:00 p.m. Extra Work Sprint: An hour of wrap-up tasks before unwinding.
9:00–9:30 p.m. Wind-Down and Bed: Traveling? It’s 20–30 minutes of SportsCenter. At home? Whatever show helps his wife nod off quickest, he jokes.
Weekends aren’t much of a reprieve. He sleeps in until 6:30 a.m., but Sundays often involve work. “The gap that I allow for me to not think about work is six to eight hours on Saturdays,” he says.
This CEO daily routine isn’t just habit, it’s strategy. Early starts once gave him a competitive edge; now, they help him stay ahead of a packed calendar.
In an era where younger workers demand boundaries, autonomy, and "me time," Shipchandler pulls no punches: True work-life balance at the top? “I do not” think it’s possible.
“Every one of us has to make certain work-life choices,” the Gen X exec explains. His own choices meant missing some of his son’s tennis matches. “This work-life choice obviously has certain consequences. I wasn’t there for all of my son’s tennis matches.”
He adds, “If you want to work eight-to-five, coach your kids sports teams, have the evenings for yourself, and maybe another hobby or interest, that’s awesome,” but he’s never met a peer without a similarly rigorous routine.
Still, Shipchandler insists this isn’t about glorifying burnout. “I’m all for working smarter,” he says. It’s about intentional habits that boost performance. He skips social media to minimize distractions, walks on the treadmill post-lunch to avoid afternoon slumps, and uses productivity tools to work smarter, not just harder.
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