The BetaKit Podcast Channel The future is a four-day workweek
Jan 12, 2026
Jared Lindzon, freelance journalist and co-author of Do More in Four, studies the four-day workweek and work time reduction. He traces the five-day week's history, explores modern pilot programs, and makes the business case that fewer days force focus and efficiency. He also discusses AI as both a threat and opportunity and how shorter weeks interact with hybrid work and generational preferences.
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Ford's Workweek Experiment Grew His Market
- Henry Ford tested and then made permanent a five-day, eight-hour workday in the 1920s to expand consumer demand for cars.
- Ford's move was strategic: paid leisure time let workers buy and use automobiles, growing his market.
Productivity Gains Haven't Matched Wage Growth
- Technology doubled individual capacity twice across the 20th century but pay gains stalled in the internet era.
- That productivity–pay disconnect motivates renewed calls to redistribute time benefits like a shorter workweek.
Make Shorter Weeks Contingent On Efficiency
- Use a shortened workweek as an incentive to force efficiency, not just a perk to hand out.
- Ask teams to find 20%+ efficiency gains tied to measurable business outcomes before granting the extra day off.
