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Skims cofounder Emma Grede says working from home is 'career suicide'
Skims cofounder Emma Grede says working from home is 'career suicide' By Amanda Goh You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email. Skims cofounder Emma Grede says remote work could be contributing to wider social issues that many people ignore. Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Emma Grede 2026-04-28T04:22:18.433Z Skims cofounder Emma Grede says the downsides of working from home don't get enough attention. She said it's "so crazy" not to draw a link between remote work and growing social issues such as loneliness. "The key to a long and happy life is your close relationships," she said. Skims cofounder Emma Grede, 43, says the real cost of working from home isn't being talked about enough. Speaking on the "Leaders with Francine Lacqua" podcast episode released on Monday, Grede said that remote work could have broader social consequences that people are overlooking."Working from home is career suicide. And we only talk about the upside of working from home," Grede told podcast host Francine Lacqua.The downsides aren't what people want to hear, but Grede says she believes the effects are already visible in everyday life."Think about what's happening in the world. Declining birth rates, declining marriage rates, and the loneliness epidemic. And we think that none of that is linked to the number of people that like, don't see people because they're doing Zoom calls from the living room?" Grede said. Grede, who is also the CEO of Good American and the first Black female investor to appear on "Shark Tank," said that it's "so crazy" not to make that correlation."The key to a long and happy life is your close relationships," she added.For Grede, being in the room matters from the very start of a career."Listen, I did a lot of unpaid internships and I did it while being somebody that didn't have a lot of money. And that was a real struggle for me," Grede said.Despite that, she said she saw the value of those opportunities."It was a huge unlock for me, the ability to go into an organization and get under the hood without having any qualifications or right to really be there. I think that there have to be certain protections on it, but I'd like to lift the lid because there's so much to be learned," she said.It's not the first time Grede has taken a hard line on workplace expectations. In May 2025, she said she considers it a red flag when job candidates ask about work-life balance during the interview process...
SKIMS founder Emma Grede says working from home is 'career suicide' for ...
Emma Grede, the British co-founder of Kim Kardashian's $5 billion (£4 billion) shapewear label Skims and denim brand Good American, has built a career celebrating hard work and ambition. Now her blunt verdict on remote work has sparked a fresh row about what that really means for working mothers. In a recent Elle interview and appearance on Elizabeth Day's How To Fail podcast, the entrepreneur argued that work-from-home culture is holding women back, describing it as "career suicide" and singling out mums who work mainly from home. The backlash from parents and HR specialists has been fierce, raising a sharper question about whether the problem is home working itself or the way careers are still managed. "If you think that you're still considered for the same promotions as somebody who's sitting in the office, you're kidding yourself" Grede, who also launched sportswear line Off Season and has just published her book Start With Yourself, has long promoted a message of personal responsibility at work. On Steven Bartlett's podcast The Diary of a CEO, she previously said that work-life balance was an employee's problem and not "an employer's responsibility". Speaking to Elle UK around the book's release, she repeated and sharpened her stance on remote work. "Work-from-home culture is career suicide. I believe that it disproportionately affects women. We all need an element of flexibility, but it shouldn’t be to the detriment of moving forward, and if anybody thinks that you’ll get the same promotion or the same pay increase without the visibility and the proximity to the people that make the decisions, they are crazy", she said. On the podcast How To Fail, Grede went further, focusing explicitly on mothers who work remotely. "I think the idea of work from home culture is career suicide, specifically for women", she told host Elizabeth Day. In the same conversation, she warned: "But if you think that you're still considered for the same promotions and the same pay increases as somebody who's sitting in the office, you're kidding yourself". In her view, bosses may not say this out loud, but she insists this is how big careers are still built. Why 'career suicide' landed badly with working mums A clip of Grede's comments shared on Instagram drew an immediate, emotional response from many mothers who work hybrid or fully remotely. One commenter wrote: "What absolute nonsense! Who on earth is working while looking after their child??!" before explaining that hyb...
Emma Grede Labels Remote Work Career Suicide for Women
British entrepreneur Emma Grede sparked intense debate on Thursday, April 23, 2026, after describing remote work as "career suicide" for women during a series of media appearances to promote her new book, Start With Yourself. Grede, the co-founder of Skims and Good American, argued that physical proximity in the workplace remains a critical factor for professional advancement. As reported by ...
Emma Grede Sparks Debate with 'Career Killer' WFH Views in New Self ...
Emma Grede's Controversial Take on Work and Parenting Stirs Debate Emma Grede, the influential fashion entrepreneur behind Kardashian brands like Skims and Good American, has ignited a firestorm with her new self-help book, Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work and Life. Released earlier this month, the book offers a blunt manifesto for women in the workplace, challenging conventional ...
