Entrepreneur Behind Kardashians' Brands Says WFH Is ‘Career Suicide'

Work-from-home culture is “career suicide,” according to Emma Grede, the British entrepreneur who helped build some of the most-successful brands in the Kardashian‑Jenner business empire.

In comments published by Elle on April 15, Grede, 43, said remote work may offer flexibility, but she believes it comes at a serious professional cost-particularly for women seeking promotions and higher pay.

Grede said she stands by remarks that previously sparked backlash online, arguing that visibility in the workplace remains essential for career progression.

“I double-down on that all the time: work‑from‑home culture is career suicide,” she told Elle. “I didn't back out of it and go, ‘Oh my god, I'm so sorry I said that.' I believe that it disproportionately affects women.”

Newsweek reached out to Grede for comment via email.

Grede's comments were revisited in a wide‑ranging Elle interview tied to the release of her new book, Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work & Life. The discussion follows renewed debate over flexible working as companies continue to reassess remote and hybrid policies years after the pandemic reshaped office life.

Grede said that, while flexibility matters, she believes it can hinder career advancement if it reduces face‑to‑face interaction with decision‑makers.

“We all need an element of flexibility, but it shouldn't be to the detriment of moving forward,” she added. “If anybody thinks that you'll get the same promotion or the same pay increase without the visibility and the proximity to the people that make the decisions, they are crazy.”

The entrepreneur added that managers rarely spell this out directly to staff. “They don't want to hear it. Your boss can't tell you, but I'll tell you,” she said.

Grede's stance first gained widespread attention after she appeared last year on Steven Bartlett's The Diary of a CEO podcast. During the interview, she was asked about red flags in job interviews and cited questions about work‑life balance as a concern for her. Grede said that, in her view, work‑life balance was not an employer's responsibility-comments that quickly spread online and drew criticism.

At the time, Grede said she was largely unaware of the reaction.

“I didn't realize there was backlash [at the time]; it's only been since,” Grede told Elle. “I was in a busy moment, and it came on the news in America.”

She said her initial reaction to the surge of attention was pragmatic rather than alarmed.

“Now, in my head, I was like, ‘How efficient, that's press that I had nothing to do with,'” Grede said.

Grede explained that she did not experience the moment as backlash or virality, noting that her perspective is shaped by working with some of the world's most-famous public figures.

“My idea of viral is very different due to the people I work with,” she said, referring to her Kardashian business partners.

Who Is Emma Grede?

Grede is a British businesswoman and executive best known for her central role in the Kardashian‑Jenner brand ecosystem.

She has been widely credited as a driving force behind the companies she has helped build, such as Good American with Khloe Kardashian, and playing a key leadership role in business growth.

Grede’s latest book aims to challenge conventional thinking about work and ambition and shed more light on her private life. Her comments in Elle suggest she remains unapologetic about views that clash with popular employee trends. As companies continue to navigate post‑pandemic work models, Grede's remarks have reignited debate over whether flexibility empowers workers or quietly stalls their careers.

Newsweek's reporters and editors used Martyn, our Al assistant, to help produce this story. Learn more about Martyn.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 7:49 AM.