written on September 04, 2025

“Amazing salary, hackerhouse in SF, crazy equity. 996. Our mission is OSS.” — Gregor Zunic

“The current vibe is no drinking, no drugs, 9-9-6, […].” — Daksh Gupta

“The truth is, China’s really doing ‘007’ now—midnight to midnight, seven days a week […] if you want to build a $10 billion company, you have to work seven days a week.” — Harry Stebbings

I love work. I love working late nights, hacking on things. This week I didn’t go to sleep before midnight once. And yet…

I also love my wife and kids. I love long walks, contemplating life over good coffee, and deep, meaningful conversations. None of this would be possible if my life was defined by 12 hour days, six days a week. More importantly, a successful company is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

And this is when this is your own company! When you devote 72 hours a week to someone else’s startup, you need to really think about that arrangement a few times. I find it highly irresponsible for a founder to promote that model. As a founder, you are not an employee, and your risks and leverage are fundamentally different.

I will always advocate for putting the time in because it is what brought me happiness. Intensity, and giving a shit about what I’m doing, will always matter to me. But you don’t measure that by the energy you put in, or the hours you’re sitting in the office, but the output you produce. Burning out on twelve-hour days, six days a week, has no prize at the end. It’s unsustainable, it shouldn’t be the standard and it sure as hell should not be seen as a positive sign of a company.

I’ve pulled many all-nighters, and I’ve enjoyed them. I still do. But they’re enjoyable in the right context, for the right reasons, and when that is a completely personal choice, not the basis of company culture.

And that all-nighter? It comes with a fucked up and unproductive morning the day after.

When someone promotes a 996 work culture, we should push back.

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