The professional benefits of marriage have long been extolled. Married couples tend to make more money over their professional lifetimes. And tying the knot can come with a number of perks—financially and socially. Senior executives often prefer the stability associated with the coupled, which can lead to promotions. Married people are said to live longer as well。

婚姻給職業(yè)發(fā)展帶來的好處，一直廣受贊揚。在整個職業(yè)生涯中，已婚人士往往能夠獲取更高的收入。結婚還可以帶來經濟和社交方面的額外好處。高管通常更欣賞已婚人士具有的穩(wěn)定性，這一優(yōu)勢可以給已婚者帶來升職機遇。而且，有人認為已婚者的壽命更長。

Recently published research by Washington University’s Joshua Jackson even suggests that you are more likely to rise the ranks fastest with a “conscientious” spouse; one who is reliable, organized, and good at managing chores and finances。

華盛頓大學教授約書亞-杰克森最近發(fā)布的一項研究甚至暗示，如果你的配偶“盡職盡責”，可靠、有條理并且擅長處理家務和財務，你就更有可能以最快的速度平步青云。

But where does that leave those Americans who simply haven’t found “the one” yet? In many ways, staying single can do wonders for your career. It gives you more flexibility—you are less likely to feel guilty about spending long hours in the office。

但這樣一來，那些還沒有找到“另一半”的人該怎么辦?在許多方面，單身其實能夠給職業(yè)發(fā)展帶來意想不到的好處。它可以讓你更靈活——在辦公室工作很長時間，也不會有愧疚感。

In fact, at certain points in a company’s life, it may be better for the top spot to be filled by a lonesome dove. That’s because the unhitched are more willing to take chances on investment in research and development or mergers, according to recent research. Such efforts can turn a small struggling business into a publicly traded gem. In fact, a number of CEOs without a marriage certificate are at the helm of fast-growing companies。

事實上，在公司發(fā)展的某些階段，由單身人士擔任最高領導職務，或許是更好的選擇。這是因為，根據(jù)最近一項研究，單身者更愿意抓住機遇，在研發(fā)或并購方面進行大膽投資。這些方面的努力可以將一家苦苦掙扎的小公司打造成一家集萬般寵愛于一身的上市公司。事實上，許多快速增長的公司CEO都未正式成家。

This is certainly the case in the boom and bust world of startups. These four companies have been aided by the attention, dedication, and attentiveness of their unmarried CEOs. At least most of the time. These four executives have found love; it just doesn’t necessarily include a living, breathing partner。

繁榮與蕭條并存的創(chuàng)業(yè)界確實存在這種情況。下面四家公司便得益于其單身CEO的專注、奉獻和投入。至少在大多數(shù)時間里，單身CEO給公司帶來的是好處。這四位高管已經找到了摯愛;只不過他們的“另一半”并不一定是一位有血有肉的配偶。

Tony Hsieh, Zappos.com

謝家華， Zappos.com

Hsieh, 41, serves as testament that single people just know how to have more fun. He has turned his online shoe retail operation into a perennial favorite on Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For list. Amazon bought the company in 2009 for $1.2 billion, but Hsieh still has a lot of room to run Zappos how he sees fit, which includes plenty of booze, parties, and Kilt Fridays. The office environment has produced a number of Zappos marriages。

41歲的謝家華充分證明，單身人士很清楚如何尋找樂趣。他將自己的在線鞋業(yè)零售公司，變成了《財富》最適宜工作的公司榜單上的常客。2009年，亞馬遜以12億美元收購了該公司，但在Zappos的運營方面，謝家華仍有很大的自主權，他可以按照自己認為合適的方式經營公司，比如舉辦各種酒會、派對和周五蘇格蘭裙聚會(Kilt Fridays)等。這種辦公環(huán)境讓許多Zappos員工喜結連理。

But not for Hsieh, whose singlehood has left him with plenty of time to focus on the company he built. His days are long. He reportedly holds meetings often from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. In 2010, he wrote a New York Times bestselling business book, Delivering Happiness, in two weeks, and undertook a Las Vegas economic development project in 2012. The project seeks to revitalize the area of the city in which Zappos is headquartered by funneling $350 million into new shops and restaurants。

但謝家華并不是其中之一，單身狀態(tài)讓他有大量時間專注于自己創(chuàng)建的公司。他非常忙碌。據(jù)報道，他通常從早上8點開會一直到晚上10點才結束。在2010年，他在兩周內就撰寫了一本登上《紐約時報》暢銷書榜的圖書——《傳遞幸�！�(Delivering Happiness)，并在2012年承接了拉斯維加斯的經濟發(fā)展項目。通過向新商店和餐廳注資3.5億美元，該項目希望推動Zappos公司總部所在的市區(qū)實現(xiàn)復興。

Don’t expect him to settle down soon, though. Hsieh recently responded to a question from Playboy about the virtues of monogamy:

但不要以為他很快就會安定下來。最近，《花花公子》雜志大談一夫一妻制的各種好處，謝家華這樣回應一個相關問題：

From a purely evolutionary point of view, the guy who’s monogamous will have fewer copies of his genes in the next generation than a guy who’s not. I think it’s pretty hard to find one partner and call it a day. Using the analogy of friends, why not find just one friend and call it a day? The answer is because you get a different type of connection, different conversations, different experiences with different friends. I would say the same thing is true on the dating side。

從純進化論的角度來說，一夫一妻制的人，其基因在下一代中被復制的次數(shù)更少。我認為很難找到一位伴侶，結束單身。借用一位朋友的說法，為什么不找個朋友一起生活?答案在于，因為你與不同的朋友會有不同的聯(lián)系，不同的交流和不同的體驗。我想說，約會也是如此。

Travis Kalanick, Uber

特拉維斯-卡拉尼克，Uber

When you’re attempting to overtake an industry as resistant to change as taxi service, it’s probably a good idea if you have an affinity for risk. Kalanick, 38, has been resolute and brash, turning Uber into a tech darling in just five years. Along the way, he has battled with local and federal regulators in the U.S. and abroad, as well as labor groups。

如果你打算進入一個抗拒變化的行業(yè)，比如出租車服務業(yè)，你必須愿意承擔風險。果敢而有些急性子的卡拉尼克現(xiàn)在38歲，僅用了五年時間，他就將打車服務商Uber變成了一家炙手可熱的科技公司。一路走來，他就像一位不知疲倦的斗士，與美國及海外的地方與聯(lián)邦監(jiān)管部門，以及勞工組織不斷抗爭。

Now, as rumors of a potential IPO grow louder—in December, Uber tapped Goldman Sachs to raise $1 billion from the bank’s wealthy clients at a 30% discount to an eventual IPO target valuation of $52 billion—Kalanick and his company face challenges from other, up-in-coming startups, like Lyft, that provide the same service at a lower cost。

去年十二月份，Uber委托高盛向該公司的高端客戶融資10億美元，并按公司最終IPO的目標估值(520億美元)折讓30%。如今，隨著上市傳聞愈演愈烈，卡拉尼克和他的公司正面臨其他新興初創(chuàng)公司的挑戰(zhàn)，比如以更低成本提供同樣服務的Lyft。

Some countries haven’t been as amenable to Uber as most cities in the U.S. have. At the beginning of 2015, Kalanick pulled the plug on Uber service in Spain after the nation's court ruled that it created unfair competition to local taxi drivers. Thailand has also called for Uber to halt its services because of its use of unlicensed drivers. All of this comes on top of reports of accusations that Uber drivers have acted inappropriately toward or harmed customers。

此外，在有些國家，Uber并不像它在美國大多數(shù)城市那樣受歡迎。2015年伊始，由于西班牙法院判決Uber造成了對當?shù)爻鲎廛囁緳C的不公平競爭，這家打車服務商終止了在該國的運營業(yè)務。泰國也要求Uber停止在其境內提供服務，原因是該公司使用了無牌照的司機。除此之外，還有各種關于Uber司機行為不當或傷害乘客的指控。

Often, Kalanick’s rush to respond has gotten him in trouble, like when he reacted to reports that a vice president at Uber suggested that he would dig up dirt on a journalist that was publishing critical pieces about the company. Kalanick apologized for the VP’s response, but he didn’t fire the executive, as many critics called for。

卡拉尼克匆忙回應的方式，常常令他陷入麻煩。例如有報道稱，一位Uber副總裁提議挖掘一位批評該公司的記者的丑聞，卡拉尼克就這番言論正式道歉，但他并沒有像許多批評人士要求的那樣，將這位高管解雇。

It doesn’t look like Kalanick is planning to slow down anytime soon, though. He was most recently rumored to have had a fling with actress Gwyneth Paltrow. With this much on his plate, starting a family may not be top of mind。

卡拉尼克似乎并不打算盡快放松下來。最近又傳出他與女演員格溫妮絲-帕特洛的緋聞。鑒于卡拉尼克還要面對如此多難題，成立家庭肯定不是他的第一要務。

Brian Chesky, AirBnB

布萊恩-切斯科，AirBnB

He’s a 30-something billionaire without a full-time home. It’s probably not a surprise that the AirBNB CEO has yet to tie the knot. He’s too busy traveling, trying out AirBnBs, and growing his business to a reported $10 billion valuation。

他是一位30歲出頭的億萬富翁，尚無家室。房屋租賃公司AirBnB的CEO至今單身其實并不意外。他每天都忙于出差，完善AirBnb，將這家公司的估值增長至100億美元。

AirBNB certainly faces its fair share of growing pains, including allegations of shady customers who either leave their rentals a mess or never leave. The company must also contend with municipal governments, like New York City’s, that have taken issue with AirBNB’s business strategy. Chesky and his firm face legal challenges over apartment tenants’ right to sublease their home for a day or two。

AirBnB同樣面臨著成長中的煩惱，比如名聲不佳的客戶在搬家時，將租住的房子弄得一團糟，或者拒不搬走。該公司還要與一些不認同AibBnB商業(yè)模式的市政府進行斗爭，比如紐約市。此外，公寓租客是否有權利將房屋短期轉租，也令切斯科和他的公司面臨法律挑戰(zhàn)。

Still, as AirBnB grows up, so might Chesky. He’s reportedly dating, so who knows, wedding bells could be on the horizon。

不過，隨著AirBnB不斷成長，切斯科或許也有類似轉變。有消息稱他已經開始約會，或許很快就能聽到他結婚的消息。

Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos

伊莉莎白-霍爾姆斯，Theranos

Holmes is used to starting early. After all, she founded Theranos, a blood diagnostic company, during her sophomore year at Stanford. Still in her teens, she dropped out of college and developed the concept for what is now a potentially revolutionary force in the diagnostic lab industry. By using a fraction of the amount of blood most labs require, Theranos can test over 200 of the most common blood diagnostics. It has made Holmes, only 30, one of the youngest billionaires in the world。

霍爾姆斯習慣了凡事盡早。她在斯坦福大學二年級時創(chuàng)建了血液診斷公司Theranos。在十幾歲的時候，她為了一個信念從斯坦福退學，如今這個信念變成了診斷實驗領域一股革命性的力量。Theranos僅需要大多數(shù)實驗室所需血液量的很少一部分，便可以完成超過200項最常見的血液診斷。這也讓年僅30歲的霍爾姆斯成為全世界最年輕的億萬富翁之一。

All the attention on blood tests has left little time for the heart. She recently admitted to USA Today that if she’s married to anyone, it’s her company。

霍爾姆斯將全部精力都投入到血液檢測事業(yè)當中，因此她沒有時間考慮個人問題。她最近向《今日美國》坦言，如果說她已成家，那個配偶就是她自己的公司。