Alexey Gubarev, Co-founder and Board Member of Palta, when referring to his home, speaks of a space for disconnecting from work and returning to tranquility.
Although his entrepreneurial mind never stops working, he consciously chooses not to bring work home, avoiding keeping any professional items there. His personal space is dedicated exclusively to what he needs in his personal life, in the house that, for him, acts as a refuge. As a place where luxury is measured in comfort and tranquility.
"I don't have a home office, though. My wife forbade having one so that I wouldn't try to bring work home as much as possible. When I enter the house, I try to leave stress behind, although it's impossible not to think about work matters, which always come to mind," Gubarev says.
He continues, "The bedroom is my favourite place in my home. That’s where I can finally relax, read a book, spend time with my wife and cat, and also sleep. Sleep is very important. I realised this a year ago when I bought a Whoop fitness tracker. It showed that I’ve been sleep-deprived my whole life. Before, if I woke up at four or five in the morning, I would get up and start working. Now, if I wake up at 4am, I take a melatonin pill and go back to sleep. If I wake up at 5am, I turn on a meditation and try to fall back asleep."
"I'm a social person, and communicating with people is important to me. I don't understand working from home. I worked from home during COVID-19. I realised that I like going to the office.
I very rarely arrange meetings with colleagues or employees at home. I try to handle all work issues at the office and spend my evenings at home with my family," Gubarev adds.
He goes on to reveal, "A luxury in my personal space for me is silence. I mute my phone and try to switch off. I read a lot on my computer. It usually takes me about two months to read a book. As a rule, the books aren't related to my work—they're just things that interest me. Right now (in July 2026), I'm reading ‘Proofs of a Conspiracy Against All the Religions and Governments of Europe’ by John Robison — my copy is a 1798 edition."
"I have a lot of books on cars and audio equipment, plus vinyl turntables are some of the items I have at home that are related to my hobbies. I collect vintage audio like turntables, speakers, and cassette players – more than 10,000 pieces in total. I also own classic cars, and approximately 80 rare and limited-production vehicles will be exhibited in a retro car museum at a former Soviet bus terminal in Bishkek, opening in 2027," the businessman also notes.
Gubarev also reveals that he has had a love of Baxter chairs for many years, "They are super comfortable, and we try to have them in every one of our homes."
"The sound of my favorite songs best characterise the sounds in my home," he also reveals, "I have many musical interests that are reawakened by events. For example, I was in Athens for a Metallica concert, and afterwards I listened to Metallica at home. When I attended an instrumental Rammstein concert, I started listening to that group again."
On his day to day routine, Gubarev says, "I usually wake up at 6.50am. I brush my teeth, wash my face, and go to a cold tub—I spend four minutes there at a temperature of five degrees. Then I have a one-hour workout: functional training, gym sessions, or running. After that, I go to the sauna for 30 minutes, then take a shower and have breakfast at 9am. At 10am, I start my workday in the office. If I have a family dinner in the evening, I try to get home by 7pm. And I try to go to bed between 11pm and 11.20pm."
This interview first appeared, in Greek, in the July edition of InBusiness magazine. Click here to view it.
