Harvard Business Review

HBR asked Seinfeld whether a consulting firm could make his process less burnout-prone. Harvard Business Review asked whether a firm like McKinsey could have found a less burnout-prone model for his process. Seinfeld asked whether the consultants were funny, heard no, and said he did not need them.

He credits the show's success to controlling every word, line, take, edit and casting, and accepts 14 to 16 hour days and burnout as the cost. His view is that the goal is good work, not efficiency: "the show was successful because I micromanaged it every word every line every take every edit".

How I Write▶ 17:15