On Sunday, while speaking to veteran journalist Jeff Greenfield, Sullivan said that the ‘crushing’ workload was only part of what made his job so overwhelming. The experience, Sullivan said, was often dehumanizing.

‘Here’s what I would say: I spent a decade of my life, spending around seven hours a day in intimate conversation with around 70,000 to 100,000 people every day, ’ Sullivan said. ‘And inevitably, for those seven hours or more, I was not spending time with any actual human being, with a face and a body and a mind and a soul.’

Sullivan said the job resulted in lost friendships and minimal contact with his family.