“I can’t find the really blatant hustlers anymore”: In the “Royal GS” podcast, Nikita Fahrenholz and Martin Eyerer talk about work, ambition and productivity.
If Friedrich Merz has his way, the Germans should work “more and, above all, more efficiently.” With this statement he sparked discussions across the country. Also Nikita Fahrenholz (Founder of Delivery Hero & Fahrengold) and Martin Eyerer (Ex-CEO Factory Berlin, entrepreneur, techno DJ) talk about it in the latest episode of ours Podcasts Royal GS.
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Productivity matters
What does “more” actually mean? That is the question that both of them raise. For Eyerer it is very clear: “The sheer number of hours is actually nonsense if you look at it honestly.” What is crucial, however, is “productivity per hour”.
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And productivity, according to Eyerer, is linked to a crucial factor – the motivation or commitment that employees have towards the company. According to a Gallup study that Eyerer quotes in the podcast, “the proportion of highly emotionally attached employees in Germany” was nine percent in 2024.
Where are all the hustlers?
This is exactly something that Fahrenholz misses in some people. “I can’t find these really badass hustlers anymore, or among the young employees either. I have the feeling that they all always want to have such a good time.” At his company Fahrengold, however, he expects employees to commit. He once told his team: “At some point you’ll know what hard work is once you’ve worked really hard. That hurts,” he says. “I told my team a few years ago: I expect us to outhustle our competition. Because that’s the only currency that counts in the end.”
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Fahrenholz gives an example in the podcast that, for him, is the epitome of entrepreneurial hustle: A friend of his from Brazil “locked himself in a beach hut and spent four months coding an AI company from scratch,” says Fahrenholz. “Every day 16 hours. I took a screenshot that looked like Robinson Crusoe, completely bared, so very thin.” But he did it.
You need role models
Eyerer and Fahrenholz are of the opinion that hard work pays off. You don’t always have to start a business yourself. You can also pursue a career in companies or startups. Fahrenholz, for example, talks about his COO, who started at Fahrengold as a working student and dropped out of his mechanical engineering studies. He also saw this at Delivery Hero, which later became a corporation. He says many employees have chosen career paths that later gave them attractive job prospects.
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So do we have to work “harder” again in Germany? By the way, according to Eyerer, “hard work” means: “a lot of time and effective in the time.” The two say that this needs to be viewed in a differentiated manner. Not all work is the same. Nurses “don’t have to work any harder.” Rather, there needs to be a more positive “vibe” in Germany again, says Fahrenholz with regard to entrepreneurship, success and work. And for that, according to both of them, we need role models. Especially in politics.
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