> “There is no way to sugarcoat it. At startups, you work extremely hard,” CEO Kenneth Chong told Forbes. Chong, 30, compared the all-consuming role to that of being an athlete, who trains intensely and dedicates time and energy to the sport beyond normal business hours. “Not everyone wants to be an athlete. And if you do, then you chose that life.”
Hahaha. I’m sorry, but comparing being an athlete with working 7 days a week is completely bonkers. I can maybe, maybe get an endurance argument, but in general unlike being an athlete where you are actually improving you and your craft, and your body, (to a point, of course) working at a company mostly only improves the company, and working 7 days improves the company to the detriment of the employee.
The real reason they would make this argument is because athletes are held in high regard and they want to make it seem that working at a startup is like being one of those “highly regarded” people, and the way you achieve that high regard is to work to the bone. It may fool some people, I guess.
The athlete metaphor undermines its own point. Yes athletes work very hard, but they also specifically build in rest, recovery, and structure. Their training is periodized and supported by coaches, trainers, and nutritionists to _maximize_ their performance without burning out.
It’s understood that this level of output isnt sustainable without significant individualized support. Without it even elite athletes plateau, regress, or get injured.
A real athlete isnt left to figure it out alone, theyre backed by an entire system designed to _help them thrive long term_.
This article exists because it is a spectacle, and that alone should tell us something.
Edit: The athlete metaphor is used here because it is an “appeal to heroism” (greatness demands this of you) which is the root of all hustle culture inspo.
Im sure that Chong believes this framing himself. In the search for purpose, it is common (very human) to attempt to transmute pain into purpose. And sometimes it does help people find clarity or endure hard situations. An individual can choose that path, it is their right.
But it is a dangerous alchemy when applied at scale and by leaders.
Right, you best believe people in the NBA are getting a nice 8 hours of sleep a night. You just can't compete at that level if you aren't 100%.
These people are working 7 days a week, sure, at like, 60%. They're making mistakes, they're forgetting things, they're approving PRs with obvious bugs.
I'm not defending their arguments, but I think that some employees can also improve themselves on the job, it's not just the company improvement, I guess it depends on which projects, what kind of management, and the mindset of the employee.
Yes, but as Buffett says, you only have one body and one mind, for your whole life.
If either wears out, you're done. This means that sleeping consistently, avoiding stress, exercising, having a social life, having normal family relationships, investing time in your children, etc. are not optional.
Of course, and I have been pretty junior at an early stage startup where I improved and learned a lot (more than I think I would have at a larger company, at least), but I definitely wouldn’t have worked as many hours if I had more experience, and I think the arguments that center around you needing to work extremely hard (7 days a week, and/or like 70-80hrs) are predatory and have no sympathy for them. As other commenters have mentioned, if you need to exploit people in some way to be sustainable then you’re not sustainable.
Hahaha. I’m sorry, but comparing being an athlete with working 7 days a week is completely bonkers. I can maybe, maybe get an endurance argument, but in general unlike being an athlete where you are actually improving you and your craft, and your body, (to a point, of course) working at a company mostly only improves the company, and working 7 days improves the company to the detriment of the employee.
The real reason they would make this argument is because athletes are held in high regard and they want to make it seem that working at a startup is like being one of those “highly regarded” people, and the way you achieve that high regard is to work to the bone. It may fool some people, I guess.