CEO spends about Rs 2.7 lakh a week on team lunches to build workplace culture

A Los Angeles-based startup chief executive officer has said he spends nearly $3,000, or around Rs 2.7 lakh, every week to treat his team to lunch, describing it as one of the most valuable investments he makes in his company.

In an Instagram post, John Hu informed followers that the weekly lunches help his team of around 30 employees work more closely together and operate more effectively. He stated that a high-performance culture is closely linked to a feel-good environment for the right people, and that workplace culture goes beyond policies such as unlimited paid time off.

The post drew praise from social media users, with several commenters applauding the focus on investing in people and building strong team relationships. Some users said such initiatives strengthen trust and communication within teams, while others shared their own experiences of how informal interactions, such as shared meals, helped create more engaged and motivated workforces.

According to information on his LinkedIn profile, Hu graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before pursuing higher education at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He began his career as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs in 2016, where he worked for over a year. He later founded his own company in 2021 and assumed the role of chief executive officer.