She flies 1,000 km every week for work: Why this AI executive calls her ten hour commute the best career move?

Time of India

15 hours ago

When most people think of
long commutes
, they picture a frustrating hour in traffic or a crowded train ride. But for Janet Lee, leading
go-to-market strategy
at a rising
AI startup
, the daily grind takes a dramatically different shape. Every week, she boards a 7 a.m. flight from Los Angeles to
San Francisco
, spending nearly five hours door-to-door each way — and does it all over again by Friday night. For her, it's not a sacrifice; it's a strategy.
This unusual rhythm, which might seem overwhelming to many, has become the backbone of her professional rise — and an unorthodox recipe for long-term growth.
Face-to-Face > Zoom: The Power of Proximity
Speaking to CNBC Make It, Lee explained that what started as an impulsive decision turned into a game-changing career move. 'Being in the room changes everything,' she says. In a city like San Francisco, where the AI scene buzzes with innovation and off-the-record networking, proximity isn't just a perk — it's a power move.
Her current role at AI startup daydream came out of one such face-to-face interaction. A conversation over SEO unexpectedly turned into a job offer, despite her having no formal background in sales. "Is it crazy if we brought you on?" a new connection asked. She didn't hesitate. The lesson: spontaneous opportunities like this don't usually knock through screens.
She credits her success — including the last three jobs she's landed — to being physically present in the right spaces. 'Those doors don't open over Zoom,' she says.
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Torn Between Ambition and Belonging; So She Chose Both
The jet-setting life might seem glamorous, but the real story is more nuanced. In San Francisco, she leads the company's go-to-market efforts — a high-pressure role that constantly challenges her. But Los Angeles is still home — where her support system, oldest friends, and passion project are rooted.
Outside of her full-time job, she runs a
personal finance
coaching business called Doing Well. It was born out of her own journey with financial anxiety and has since evolved into a side hustle that helps others take control of their money.
Balancing these two lives — both professionally and geographically — hasn't been easy. But she wasn't ready to give up on either. 'I didn't want to choose between ambition and roots,' she says.
Sacrificing Comfort for Career Growth
Despite the long-term payoff, the early months of this lifestyle were grueling. She left a steady job, stayed in short-term rentals in unsafe neighborhoods, and picked up the tab for all her flights and accommodations — averaging $450 a week. There were tears in Ubers, lonely late-night meals at the office, and moments of real doubt.
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But she reframed the discomfort as part of the growth process. 'I started doing affirmations every morning,' she recalls. 'Discomfort wasn't a sign to quit. It was proof I was growing.'
Eventually, she found her rhythm — building connections in San Francisco, settling into her leadership role, and staying emotionally tethered to her life in Los Angeles. The chaos gave way to clarity.
Now, a year into this unconventional routine, the results are showing. She's grown in confidence, expanded her network, and turned a wild experiment into a sustainable lifestyle. What looked like burnout risk became momentum — simply because she kept showing up.
In an era where
remote work
dominates and virtual meetings are the norm, her story is a reminder that sometimes, success still belongs to those who show up in person — even if it means flying five hours to do it.