Meta’s Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth has a remarkably calm relationship with stress. Despite overseeing Reality Labs and serving as one of Mark Zuckerberg’s most trusted lieutenants at one of the world’s most demanding tech companies, Bosworth says he feels genuinely stressed only four or five times a year.
During a recent Instagram AMA, Bosworth traced nearly all of his stress back to one root cause — an overpacked schedule. When his calendar becomes too crowded, he fears losing time for what he calls “important work,” and that fear is what triggers stress. Rather than viewing it negatively, he treats stress as a useful signal prompting him to reprioritize.
How Bosworth Fights Back Against Stress
His toolkit is straightforward: regular exercise, deep breathing, and quality time with his wife and children. He also places significant value on openly talking through whatever is troubling him, particularly with his spouse.
How Other Top Executives Cope
Other leaders have developed their own methods. Adam Markowitz, CEO of compliance startup Drata, begins each morning with exercise and a 37-degree cold plunge, believing that tackling discomfort early makes the rest of the day more manageable. Emma Grede, CEO of Good American and a founding partner of Skims, runs her household on a strict schedule, ensuring 30 minutes of family breakfast time daily and protected evening hours with her children.
What unites these executives is a shared belief that boundaries, ro