Martin Ott says the biggest lesson he took from Mark Zuckerberg was not about grinding longer hours. It was about using time well.
Ott, now CEO of Taxfix, the Berlin-based tax app valued at more than $1 billion, said Zuckerberg taught him to work with intention. 'There’s only so many hours in a day,' Ott said. 'Ask yourself, what is the real one thing you could do today to really have impact, make a difference? Ask yourself, do you need to be in that meeting or not?'
Ott joined Facebook in 2012 to lead its Northern and Central Europe operations, when the company was pre-IPO, shifting from desktop to mobile phones, and had just a few thousand employees globally. He says the experience left him with a different view of leadership than the always-on culture that dominates much of tech.
'It is making sure that you’re not about 24/7 constant on, but being deliberate,' Ott said. He added that the 24/7 model 'only works so long' and that leaders must also protect team members from burnout.
At Taxfix, Ott says he structures his day carefully. He gets up early, reads, works out, runs by the lake, and tries to stay in touch with a support network. He also meditates at times for mental health.
He said he drafts Slack messages and emails early, but uses scheduling tools so they do not reach his team until 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. 'So I don’t pull people out of their free time, which they need to recharge,' he said.
The contrast is clear. In one camp are leaders who treat endless availability as a badge of honor. In the other is a CEO who says sustained performance depends on boundaries, not burnout. That is not softness. It is management discipline.
For free enterprise, the point matters. Productivity is not built by exhausting employees until margins break. It is built by clear rules, focused work, and a respect for time that lets capital and talent compound. Ott’s approach is a reminder that the best-run firms do not confuse noise with value.
