{"id":230371,"date":"2024-06-10T10:41:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T10:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/10\/simon-cowell-who-doesnt-work-fridays-wont-bet-the-house-on-gen-zs-that-dont-take-weekend-calls\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:17:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:17:28","slug":"simon-cowell-who-doesnt-work-fridays-wont-bet-the-house-on-gen-zs-that-dont-take-weekend-calls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/10\/simon-cowell-who-doesnt-work-fridays-wont-bet-the-house-on-gen-zs-that-dont-take-weekend-calls\/","title":{"rendered":"Simon Cowell, who doesn’t work Fridays, won’t ‘bet the house’ on Gen Zs that don’t take weekend calls"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Music mogul Simon Cowell built his multimillion-dollar brand as a cut-throat judge with an eye for a hit and an obsession with the minor details that would send his schedule into the early hours. If that man could see the \u201cnew,\u201d wellness-focused Cowell, he\u2019d be shocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The creator of Britain\u2019s Got Talent<\/em> and The X Factor<\/em> detailed a radical shift in how he thinks about work after revealing last year that he had effectively stopped working Fridays.<\/p>\n

Cowell, who is worth \u00a3450 million ($572 million) according to the Sunday Times Rich List<\/em>,<\/a> divulged to the Diary of a CEO <\/em>podcast<\/a> how he became a workaholic in the wake of the death of his mother in 2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He says this would involve working until 7 a.m., leading to success but little happiness.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Diary of a CEO <\/em>host Steven Bartlett,<\/em> 64-year-old Cowell says he\u2019s learned the error of his workaholic ways. The British multi-millionaire has taken several steps to rebalance his and renew his creativity. A crucial part of that was simply getting more sleep.<\/p>\n

The new Simon<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cGetting good sleep is crucial,\u201d Cowell told Bartlett.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hear about these people who survive on four hours of sleep a night and I\u2019m like, how? I need 10 hours if possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowell\u2019s comments mark an exception from the sleeping schedules of high-flying execs. A 2022 poll of Fortune 500 <\/em>CEOs found the average boss got about 6.3 hours of sleep per night<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other wellness-focused business leaders, including anti-aging guru Bryan Johnson<\/a>, have called out the \u201cmythology\u201d around tech giants who pride themselves on how little they can sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really believe that sleep is the best medicine that your body can have,\u201d Cowell said, admitting that if \u201cold Simon\u201d heard him say that, his reply would be \u201cyeah, right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowell told The Sun<\/em> last November he had stopped working Fridays<\/a> because he felt he could achieve the same amount in a four-day week as he could in five.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not kidding about the Fridays,\u201d Cowell told The<\/em> Sun<\/em>. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone should be working five days a week. It\u2019s just pointless.\u201d<\/p>\n

He doubled down on that sentiment on the podcast released Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs the fifth day really going to make a difference if you\u2019re working better on the four days?\u201d Cowell asked rhetorically, adding that having a three-day weekend was more fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Cowell has previously said this four-day week rule should apply to everyone, apparently there are exceptions.<\/p>\n

The America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em> judge still thinks it\u2019s vital for people to work harder and longer when they\u2019re younger.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was younger, genuinely I didn\u2019t think about weekends,\u201d Cowell said, detailing the 16-hour shifts he enjoyed as a runner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cowell said that if a 21-year-old came to work from him but logged out at 5:30 pm and told him not to call at the weekend, then \u201cI\u2019m not going to bet the house on you.\u201d He admits that, eventually, a time comes when workers can take their foot off the gas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a point when you realize that you\u2019ve got your groove, you\u2019re being successful, you\u2019ve got a good team around you, then don\u2019t kill yourself in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowell quits his smartphone<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It isn\u2019t just Fridays Cowell has shunned in pursuit of a more rebalanced life.<\/p>\n

Even though he expects different from his Gen Z employees, Cowell confirmed to Bartlett that he doesn\u2019t check his emails after 6 pm in a dramatic shift to his work-life balance that picked up steam after he had his son, Eric, in 2014.<\/p>\n

Cowell also revealed that he doesn\u2019t have a smartphone, except for one that stays in his car. He compared his smartphone to carrying around a \u201ctoaster\u201d because it was of such little use to him and caused him a great deal of stress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized not being on it for three to four months in the year, I was happier in that time,\u201d Cowell said.<\/p>\n

His message is simple for anyone trying to track down a phoneless Cowell in the interim.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you need to get hold of me and you know me\u2026 you will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowell new laissez-faire attitude has left him with few regrets. <\/p>\n

One glaring frustration, however, is not owning the naming rights to One Direction<\/em>, the boyband formed out of The X Factor <\/em>in 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could have made an animation or whatever, but when you give an artist the name, it\u2019s not yours, and that\u2019s my only regret,\u201d Cowell said, adding that if the likes of Harry Styles and Zayn Malik were listening, he would buy the name back from them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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