[machinelabo]

I personally know people that work very hard 12 hours a day and their output is stellar. Not only are they creative, but they build some of the most amazing systems I've ever come across in record time. They're handsomely paid with equity and monetary compensation.

I work in a startup with 45 top notch engineers.

[theshrike79]

Yes, I worked 12 hours a day with stellar output too.

Then one night I found out could't sleep. At all. Had to take a few pills just to get some shuteye and woke up with a shitty metal taste in my mouth every morning.

I started getting heart palpitations at odd times. Was on SSRI for a few years just to get over the burnout. Acid reflux so bad I could only eat unseasoned chicken and white rice for 6 months.

Since that episode I've learned moderation and have had a hard 8h/day policy with rare exceptions. No issues since, and my output hasn't really changed.

[skohan]

Two questions would be: 1) do they actually work 12 hours a day, or have they found a way to appear to do so? and 2) how long have they done this for? When I was at my first startup, I had periods of 16 hour days, but after a few years of this I would not go back.

[theshrike79]

Exactly.

There's a huge difference between being at work 12 hours a day and actually doing something productive with that time.

Japan is an excellent example of this, in their office culture you never leave before the boss does and try to be at the office before them. People spend 12+ hours at work and don't produce more than other people who work sensible hours.

Coronavirus and remote works might be a savior for that culture.

[machinelabo]

I wondered the same but their work output is evident. I can see the commit history and their responsiveness to issues.

Not saying anything about whether this is a good idea or not. Just saying that I know people like this that I used to be skeptical about before.