Jack Zhang, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of global payments platform Airwallex, has stirred debate after stating that burnout is a concept he does not relate to, despite working extreme hours for over two decades.
‘Either you survive or you don’t’
Speaking to CNBC Make It, Jack Zhang said he has worked nearly 100 hours a week since the age of 16 and continues to put in around 80 hours weekly even in his late 40s.
“I never understand that terminology — burnout,” he said, explaining that survival, not balance, shaped his early mindset.
Blue-collar jobs to fund education
Zhang moved alone from Qingdao, China, to Australia at just 15, struggling with limited English and financial hardship. To fund his computer science degree at the University of Melbourne, he worked multiple blue-collar jobs — washing dishes, bartending, working overnight shifts at petrol stations, and packing lemons at factories during summers.
He said he had only two choices: return to China or survive independently in Australia.
From banking to building Airwallex
After graduating in 2007, Zhang worked as a software engineer at Aviva and later in banking, where he earned his first million. However, the birth of his daughter became a turning point, pushing him to seek purpose beyond money.
“I realised money alone doesn’t bring the highest happiness,” Zhang said.
A global fintech ambition
Founded in 2015 with university friends, Airwallex today employs around 2,000 people across 26 offices worldwide and is valued at nearly $8 billion. The company has crossed $1 billion in annualised run-rate revenue and aims to generate $10 billion in revenue by 2030.
Despite the scale, Zhang says he feels no urge to slow down — only excitement for what lies ahead.