Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, recently said that true stress hits him just four or five times a year. When it does, he treats it not as a breakdown, but as a “useful signal” to reset priorities, Entrepreneur reported. 

Bosworth, who leads Meta’s high-stakes Reality Labs division, revealed his approach during a recent Instagram ‘ask-me-anything’ session.

On being asked, “How do you deal with work stress?” he replied that he doesn’t feel stressed often at all.

“I don’t feel stressed out that often,” Bosworth said. “It happens to me four or five times a year.”

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He traced those rare occurrences to being over-scheduled. When his calendar fills up and urgent tasks pile on, he starts worrying he won’t have enough time for the “important work”. That feeling, according to him, is his stress trigger.

“When I start to experience the stress, that’s a useful signal for me,” he said.

“What is the important work that, if you dedicated the time to it, you would be okay? And, how do we reprioritise the urgent stuff that’s being noisy?”

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How does he handle it?

Bosworth also discussed how he manages stress. He does deep breathing, exercise and spends time with his wife and children.

He also talks openly about what’s bothering him, especially with his wife, which he says helps him reset.

“It’s all very conventional stuff, I think,” he said. “But they are effective in keeping him grounded.”

Bosworth isn’t alone in managing corner-office pressure. Four Seasons CEO Alejandro Reynal starts mornings with exercise or beach runs and has breakfast with family to stay grounded.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told podcaster Joe Rogan that waking up and checking his phone felt like being “punched in the stomach,” so he exercises in the mornings to reduce stress.