Self-made billionaire CEO goes home for dinner with his kids—then back to the office to more work: ‘That's just the gig', typically works 12-hour to 20-hour days, especially during busy periods leading up to rocket launches, a company spokesperson says. That time commitment makes striking a healthy balance between work and a personal life difficult, says Beck, 47.Beck started Rocket Lab in 2006 with no college degree and few industry connections.
Over nearly two decades, he's built it into a $12.93 billion business, as of Wednesday morning. The company's success contributes largely to Beck's net worth — $1.3 billion,During his busiest workdays, Beck employs'workarounds' to spend time with his family, he says. He typically goes home for dinner with his family, and then heads back to the office — or logs onto his computer from home — to keep working'late into the night,' he says. 'I try and have dinner with the kids, for sure. There's little things like that,' Beck says.'If I'm traveling overseas , we'll try as best we can to time it for school holidays so the family can come with .'a'chronic workaholic' and'paranoid about everything.' He rises each morning before 5 a.m. and spends the bulk of his days at the office fretting over his business and the technical aspects of each rocket his company launches into space, he says.Many startup founders report working long hours and stressing over details. Beck's industry comes with an additional degree of difficulty: Each rocket launch could result in a potentially dangerous catastrophe. 'It's either right or it's international news, one of those two outcomes,' says Beck.'So you'd best be checking thing three or four times.'sometimes have to wait until weather conditions are perfect and all safety checks are completed — meaning Beck has to be available at all hoursBeck's situation is perhaps an extreme version of a relatable challenge: Many working parents struggle to schedule extra time for themselves and their familie