August 18, 2025 • 18 mins
Silicon Valley is experiencing a dramatic shift towards extreme work cultures in AI startups, echoing China's banned "996" culture. Companies demand 80-hour weeks, risking employee burnout for the AGI race, promising high rewards. This culture excludes many, jeopardizing long-term innovation and societal wellbeing. Sustainable practices may offer competitive advantages.
#SiliconValley, #AIStartups, #WorkCulture, #Burnout, #AGI, #Innovation, #Sustainability
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Bite-Sized L&D, your quick, no-nonsense update on the latest in workplace learning.
(00:10):
Today, we're diving into the intense work culture brewing in Silicon Valley and uncovering
sustainable strategies that could redefine productivity without burning out your team.
Alright, let's get straight into it.
Welcome back to Bite-Sized L&D.
I'm Donna, and today I've got workplace culture expert Yaakov Lasker with me to dive deep
(00:33):
into something that's been absolutely exploding across Silicon Valley.
Yaakov, I just saw this wild story about an AI company literally telling employees,
work 80 hours a week or take a buyout.
What is happening out there?
Donna, what's happening is that we're witnessing the most extreme work culture shift in tech
(00:53):
since this dot-com boom.
And here's the kicker.
While China officially banned their infamous 996 culture in 2021, American AI startups
are embracing something even more intense.
We're talking about companies where the CEO openly says, we don't believe in work-life
balance and many of us literally live where we work.
(01:16):
Wait, let me get this straight.
China looked at 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week and said, this is harmful to humans, but Silicon
Valley is going, hold my artisanal coffee, we can do worse.
Exactly, and it's not just one rogue company.
Cognition AI just acquired Windsurf and gave 200 employees an ultimatum.
Accept our 80 plus hour work weeks or take 9 month salary to leave.
(01:42):
Lovable is literally advertising candidates must thrive under high urgency with AGI timelines
approaching.
Even Google's co-founder told their AI unit that 60 hours a week is the sweet spot of
productivity.
This sounds like we're entering some kind of dystopian work reality.
(02:02):
But before we dive deeper, help our listeners understand what's actually driving this madness.
Because surely smart business leaders aren't just sadists, right?
Right.
There's a method to this madness and it all comes down to what they call the AGI race.
Real general intelligence, basically AI that can think like humans across any domain.
(02:25):
The belief is that whoever gets there first wins everything.
Permanently.
It's like the space race, but instead of national pride, it's about potentially trillions
of dollars in market value.
So the thinking is, if we can get to AGI six months faster by having our team work twice
as hard, that's worth destroying people's lives?
(02:45):
That's the calculation, yes.
And here's where it gets really complex from a psychological perspective.
Recent research shows that 82% of employees are already at risk of burnout in 2025 and
the tech industry specifically has some of the highest rates.
We're talking about 52% of tech workers experiencing depression or anxiety, and that's before these
(03:09):
extreme work cultures.
Okay, so we're essentially taking an already stressed out workforce and pouring gasoline
on the fire.
What does the research actually tell us about what happens when you push people this hard?
The data is pretty damning.
A study on China's 996 culture found that it directly increased psychological distress
among Gen Z workers through job burnout and reduced job satisfaction.
(03:34):
And here's what's fascinating.
We found that e-work self-efficacy, basically how confident people feel using technology,
can actually buffer some of these effects.
But only to a point.
That's really interesting.
So it's not just about the hours, it's about whether people feel equipped to handle the
technological demands while working those hours.
(03:55):
Exactly.
And this connects to something crucial that leaders are missing.
When you're dealing with complex AI development, you need creative problem solving, innovation,
deep thinking.
All of these cognitive functions are the first things that deteriorate under chronic stress
and sleep deprivation.
(04:15):
So ironically, the very thing they're trying to achieve, breakthrough AI innovation, might
be undermined by the culture they're creating to achieve it.
Bingo!
And we're already seeing evidence of this.
Cognition, despite their extreme performance culture, produced Devon, which was one of
the least referenced AI tools in a major industry survey this year.
(04:38):
ICON, demanding seven-day work weeks, ended up pivoting to become just another ad agency
charging a thousand bucks a month.
Wow, so all that grinding for mediocrity?
But let's talk about the human cost here.
You mentioned Gen Z being particularly affected.
What's happening with younger workers?
This is where it gets really disturbing.
(05:00):
The latest burnout research shows that 83% of Gen Z workers report feeling burned out,
compared to 58% of baby boomers.
And here's the scary part.
18-24 year olds are increasingly taking time off for mental health reasons, but they're
also losing trust in their managers.
The proportion who'd feel comfortable talking to their boss about stress dropped from 75%
(05:27):
to 56% in just one year.
So we're creating a generation of workers who are burning out faster, but also feel
like they can't even talk about it.
Right.
And there's a really insidious selection bias happening here.
These extreme work cultures automatically exclude anyone with family responsibilities,
(05:47):
anyone who lives far from the office, anyone who prioritizes mental health.
So you're essentially filtering for young, unattached people who either don't recognize
the warning signs of burnout or feel they have no choice but to accept it.
That brings up a huge equity issue.
This isn't just about individual choice.
It's about who gets to participate in what could be the most lucrative technological
(06:10):
revolution of our time.
Absolutely.
And let's talk about that lucrative part, because it's driving a lot of these decisions.
The promise is massive.
Windsurf employees who got acquired by Google after just 10 months, some engineers potentially
made 8 figures.
That's life-changing money for less than a year of brutal work.
(06:31):
I mean, would you work 80 hour weeks for a year if I guaranteed you'd walk away with
$10 million?
That's the exact calculation everyone's making and for founders who stand to make
hundreds of millions or even billions pushing their teams.
This hard feels completely rational.
But here's what's fascinating from a behavioral economics perspective.
(06:53):
This only works if there's actually a reasonable chance of that payout.
And there isn't always, right?
It's basically gambling with people's health and lives.
Exactly.
And this connects to a broader pattern in tech.
Remember how every tech revolution creates this narrative that this time is different.
This is the most important moment in history.
(07:15):
A retired software engineer told one researcher that her generation did the exact same thing
in the 1970s with computers, storing beer in the cooling systems, eating burgers at
7am after all-nighters.
So every generation thinks their technology is the one that will change everything forever?
It seems that way.
(07:35):
But here's what's different this time.
The speed and the stakes.
Magic.dev raised $515 million, claiming they could handle 100 million token context windows
when everyone else was at $100k.
That's a thousand times improvement.
But just one year later, Google and Claude caught up significantly.
(07:58):
In AI, your competitive advantage can evaporate in months, not years.
So the time pressure is real, but the question is whether extreme work hours actually help
you move faster, or just burn through talent faster.
That's the key question.
And here's where the legal perspective gets really interesting.
Unlike Europe, which has strict working time regulations, the US has almost no protection
(08:24):
against extreme work hours.
The Fair Labor Standards Act only requires overtime pay.
It doesn't limit how many hours you can work someone.
Wait, seriously?
So in Europe, there would be actual laws preventing some of these practices?
In many European countries, yes.
There are maximum weekly working hours, mandatory rest periods, limits on consecutive working
(08:47):
days.
But in the US, as long as you pay overtime to non-exempt employees, you can work them
into the ground.
And most of these AI startups are hiring primarily exempt workers.
Engineers, researchers, developers, who aren't even entitled to overtime pay.
That's actually terrifying.
(09:07):
So there's literally no legal protection for most of these workers beyond whatever their
contract says?
Pretty much.
And here's the really insidious part.
When you're competing for top AI talent, these companies can essentially require extreme
hours as a condition of employment.
If you won't do it, someone else will.
So we're creating a race to the bottom in terms of working conditions.
(09:30):
But surely there have to be some companies pushing back on this trend?
There are, and it's interesting to see the divide.
Some companies are recognizing that sustainable practices actually lead to better outcomes.
Citigroup's CEO, for example, has embraced more family-friendly policies specifically
to attract talented people who might balk at competitors with intensive cultures.
(09:54):
And that makes business sense too, right?
If everyone else is burning out their workforce, being the sane option gives you access to a
different talent pool.
Exactly.
But here's what's worrying.
Recent surveys show that employees are reporting increased demands from employers to use AI
tools to increase output, expand their skill sets, take on wider responsibilities, work
(10:17):
longer hours.
It's not just AI startups anymore.
This culture is spreading.
So even if you're not working at one of these extreme AI companies, you might still feel
the pressure from this broader cultural shift?
That's right.
And this connects to something really important about the nature of technological change.
We're seeing massive layoffs across tech while simultaneously seeing increased productivity
(10:41):
demands.
People are being asked to do more with less, faster than ever before.
Let's get practical for a moment.
If someone's listening to this and they're either considering joining one of these companies
or they're already experiencing pressure at their current job, what should they be thinking
about?
First, they need to understand the real odds.
Yes, some people make life-changing money, but for every Windsurf success story, there
(11:06):
are dozens of companies that demand extreme hours and fail anyway.
Second, they need to honestly assess their personal situation.
Do they have the financial cushion to take this risk?
Do they have family obligations?
What's their actual risk tolerance?
And what about recognizing the warning signs of burnout before it's too late?
(11:27):
The World Health Organization defines burnout through three key dimensions.
Exhaustion, cynicism, and feeling ineffective at your job.
If you're finding yourself unable to relax after work, becoming increasingly negative
about your job and colleagues, or feeling like nothing you do matters, those are red flags.
(11:49):
But here's what I'm struggling with.
If these extreme work cultures become the norm in AI and AI becomes central to every industry,
are we looking at a future where this just spreads everywhere?
That's the trillion-dollar question.
I think we're in a temporary bubble driven by FOMO and the belief that AGI is just around
the corner.
(12:10):
Eventually, when every company is an AI company, this will probably normalize.
But the question is, how much damage do we do to human well-being in the meantime?
And there's a generational aspect here too.
If we're burning out an entire cohort of young tech workers, what does that mean for
the future of innovation?
(12:30):
It's a really good point.
We might be creating a generation that's deeply skeptical of tech culture, or we might be
selecting for people who are willing to sacrifice everything for career advancement.
Neither scenario is great for long-term innovation or societal well-being.
Let's zoom out for a moment.
From a broader societal perspective, what does it say about our economic system when
(12:53):
the most innovative companies feel like they need to extract maximum labor from their workers?
It reveals a fundamental tension in capitalism between short-term, competitive pressure and
long-term human sustainability.
These companies are operating in a winner-take-all environment, where being second might mean
being irrelevant.
(13:14):
But the cost is being borne by individual workers, not just in terms of their health,
but in terms of who gets excluded from participating in this economic opportunity.
Right?
Because if you can't or won't work 80-hour weeks, you're basically locked out of what
could be the most lucrative industry of our time.
Exactly.
And that's not just an individual problem.
(13:36):
It's a societal problem.
We're potentially concentrating the benefits of AI development among a narrow group of
people willing to sacrifice their health for financial gain.
This is making me think about the longer-term cultural implications.
If this becomes normalized, what does that do to our broader expectations about work
and life?
That's the scary part.
(13:57):
Culture is contagious.
When prestigious, successful companies operate this way.
It influences expectations across industries.
We could be witnessing a fundamental shift in what's considered normal professional
dedication.
But surely there are limits.
At some point, doesn't the productivity decline outweigh any benefits?
(14:18):
Absolutely, and research consistently shows that.
Studies on extended work hours find that productivity actually drops significantly after about 50
hours per week.
After 55 hours, you're often getting less output than you would from 40 hours.
But when you're driven by panic about missing a narrow window of opportunity, rational decision-making
(14:41):
goes out the window.
So for our listeners who might be facing these decisions or seeing these trends at their
own companies, what's the takeaway?
First, recognize that this trend is real and likely to persist in the short term.
Second, understand that sustainable high performance looks different from unsustainable
high performance.
(15:01):
You can often achieve more with smarter work than with simply more work.
Third, consider the full-cost benefit analysis, including your health, relationships, and
long-term career sustainability.
And if you're a leader or manager, you have a choice to make.
You can follow the crowd into this extreme culture, or you can differentiate yourself
(15:22):
by creating an environment that attracts people who want to do their best work sustainably.
The research suggests that the second approach might actually give you a competitive advantage,
especially as this trend burns out more and more of the available talent pool.
This feels like one of those moments where we're going to look back in five or ten years
(15:43):
and judge how we handled it.
Either we'll have found a way to harness AI innovation while preserving human well-being,
or we'll have a generation of burned-out tech workers, and a culture that normalized
sacrificing everything for economic advancement.
That's beautifully put, Donna.
And the choices being made right now by individuals, by companies, by investors, and potentially
(16:05):
by regulators will determine which future we get.
For everyone listening, whether you're navigating these decisions personally or just trying
to understand what's happening in the tech world, remember that these extreme work cultures
aren't inevitable.
Their choices, and choices can be changed.
But only if we're honest about the real costs and willing to prioritize long-term human
(16:27):
flourishing over short-term competitive advantage.
And keep in mind that the most sustainable path to breakthrough innovation has always
been through well-rested, creative, diverse teams working at their peak cognitive capacity,
not through burning people out in a sprint to an uncertain finish line.
Yakov, thanks for helping us understand the full scope of what's happening here.
(16:51):
This has been a masterclass in how technological revolutions intersect with human psychology,
business incentives, and social equity.
Thanks for having me, Donna.
And remember, every technological revolution eventually finds its equilibrium.
The question is whether we can influence what that equilibrium looks like.
Until next time, this has been Bite-Sized L&D.
(17:14):
Keep learning, keep questioning, and keep prioritizing your well-being.
No matter what the latest startup culture tries to tell you is normal.
(17:44):
Stay tuned for more updates.
Welcome to Bite-Sized L&D, your quick, no-nonsense update on the latest in workplace learning.
(00:10):
Today, we're diving into the intense work culture brewing in Silicon Valley and uncovering
sustainable strategies that could redefine productivity without burning out your team.
Alright, let's get straight into it.
Welcome back to Bite-Sized L&D.
I'm Donna, and today I've got workplace culture expert Yaakov Lasker with me to dive deep
(00:33):
into something that's been absolutely exploding across Silicon Valley.
Yaakov, I just saw this wild story about an AI company literally telling employees,
work 80 hours a week or take a buyout.
What is happening out there?
Donna, what's happening is that we're witnessing the most extreme work culture shift in tech
(00:53):
since this dot-com boom.
And here's the kicker.
While China officially banned their infamous 996 culture in 2021, American AI startups
are embracing something even more intense.
We're talking about companies where the CEO openly says, we don't believe in work-life
balance and many of us literally live where we work.
(01:16):
Wait, let me get this straight.
China looked at 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week and said, this is harmful to humans, but Silicon
Valley is going, hold my artisanal coffee, we can do worse.
Exactly, and it's not just one rogue company.
Cognition AI just acquired Windsurf and gave 200 employees an ultimatum.
Accept our 80 plus hour work weeks or take 9 month salary to leave.
(01:42):
Lovable is literally advertising candidates must thrive under high urgency with AGI timelines
approaching.
Even Google's co-founder told their AI unit that 60 hours a week is the sweet spot of
productivity.
This sounds like we're entering some kind of dystopian work reality.
(02:02):
But before we dive deeper, help our listeners understand what's actually driving this madness.
Because surely smart business leaders aren't just sadists, right?
Right.
There's a method to this madness and it all comes down to what they call the AGI race.
Real general intelligence, basically AI that can think like humans across any domain.
(02:25):
The belief is that whoever gets there first wins everything.
Permanently.
It's like the space race, but instead of national pride, it's about potentially trillions
of dollars in market value.
So the thinking is, if we can get to AGI six months faster by having our team work twice
as hard, that's worth destroying people's lives?
(02:45):
That's the calculation, yes.
And here's where it gets really complex from a psychological perspective.
Recent research shows that 82% of employees are already at risk of burnout in 2025 and
the tech industry specifically has some of the highest rates.
We're talking about 52% of tech workers experiencing depression or anxiety, and that's before these
(03:09):
extreme work cultures.
Okay, so we're essentially taking an already stressed out workforce and pouring gasoline
on the fire.
What does the research actually tell us about what happens when you push people this hard?
The data is pretty damning.
A study on China's 996 culture found that it directly increased psychological distress
among Gen Z workers through job burnout and reduced job satisfaction.
(03:34):
And here's what's fascinating.
We found that e-work self-efficacy, basically how confident people feel using technology,
can actually buffer some of these effects.
But only to a point.
That's really interesting.
So it's not just about the hours, it's about whether people feel equipped to handle the
technological demands while working those hours.
(03:55):
Exactly.
And this connects to something crucial that leaders are missing.
When you're dealing with complex AI development, you need creative problem solving, innovation,
deep thinking.
All of these cognitive functions are the first things that deteriorate under chronic stress
and sleep deprivation.
(04:15):
So ironically, the very thing they're trying to achieve, breakthrough AI innovation, might
be undermined by the culture they're creating to achieve it.
Bingo!
And we're already seeing evidence of this.
Cognition, despite their extreme performance culture, produced Devon, which was one of
the least referenced AI tools in a major industry survey this year.
(04:38):
ICON, demanding seven-day work weeks, ended up pivoting to become just another ad agency
charging a thousand bucks a month.
Wow, so all that grinding for mediocrity?
But let's talk about the human cost here.
You mentioned Gen Z being particularly affected.
What's happening with younger workers?
This is where it gets really disturbing.
(05:00):
The latest burnout research shows that 83% of Gen Z workers report feeling burned out,
compared to 58% of baby boomers.
And here's the scary part.
18-24 year olds are increasingly taking time off for mental health reasons, but they're
also losing trust in their managers.
The proportion who'd feel comfortable talking to their boss about stress dropped from 75%
(05:27):
to 56% in just one year.
So we're creating a generation of workers who are burning out faster, but also feel
like they can't even talk about it.
Right.
And there's a really insidious selection bias happening here.
These extreme work cultures automatically exclude anyone with family responsibilities,
(05:47):
anyone who lives far from the office, anyone who prioritizes mental health.
So you're essentially filtering for young, unattached people who either don't recognize
the warning signs of burnout or feel they have no choice but to accept it.
That brings up a huge equity issue.
This isn't just about individual choice.
It's about who gets to participate in what could be the most lucrative technological
(06:10):
revolution of our time.
Absolutely.
And let's talk about that lucrative part, because it's driving a lot of these decisions.
The promise is massive.
Windsurf employees who got acquired by Google after just 10 months, some engineers potentially
made 8 figures.
That's life-changing money for less than a year of brutal work.
(06:31):
I mean, would you work 80 hour weeks for a year if I guaranteed you'd walk away with
$10 million?
That's the exact calculation everyone's making and for founders who stand to make
hundreds of millions or even billions pushing their teams.
This hard feels completely rational.
But here's what's fascinating from a behavioral economics perspective.
(06:53):
This only works if there's actually a reasonable chance of that payout.
And there isn't always, right?
It's basically gambling with people's health and lives.
Exactly.
And this connects to a broader pattern in tech.
Remember how every tech revolution creates this narrative that this time is different.
This is the most important moment in history.
(07:15):
A retired software engineer told one researcher that her generation did the exact same thing
in the 1970s with computers, storing beer in the cooling systems, eating burgers at
7am after all-nighters.
So every generation thinks their technology is the one that will change everything forever?
It seems that way.
(07:35):
But here's what's different this time.
The speed and the stakes.
Magic.dev raised $515 million, claiming they could handle 100 million token context windows
when everyone else was at $100k.
That's a thousand times improvement.
But just one year later, Google and Claude caught up significantly.
(07:58):
In AI, your competitive advantage can evaporate in months, not years.
So the time pressure is real, but the question is whether extreme work hours actually help
you move faster, or just burn through talent faster.
That's the key question.
And here's where the legal perspective gets really interesting.
Unlike Europe, which has strict working time regulations, the US has almost no protection
(08:24):
against extreme work hours.
The Fair Labor Standards Act only requires overtime pay.
It doesn't limit how many hours you can work someone.
Wait, seriously?
So in Europe, there would be actual laws preventing some of these practices?
In many European countries, yes.
There are maximum weekly working hours, mandatory rest periods, limits on consecutive working
(08:47):
days.
But in the US, as long as you pay overtime to non-exempt employees, you can work them
into the ground.
And most of these AI startups are hiring primarily exempt workers.
Engineers, researchers, developers, who aren't even entitled to overtime pay.
That's actually terrifying.
(09:07):
So there's literally no legal protection for most of these workers beyond whatever their
contract says?
Pretty much.
And here's the really insidious part.
When you're competing for top AI talent, these companies can essentially require extreme
hours as a condition of employment.
If you won't do it, someone else will.
So we're creating a race to the bottom in terms of working conditions.
(09:30):
But surely there have to be some companies pushing back on this trend?
There are, and it's interesting to see the divide.
Some companies are recognizing that sustainable practices actually lead to better outcomes.
Citigroup's CEO, for example, has embraced more family-friendly policies specifically
to attract talented people who might balk at competitors with intensive cultures.
(09:54):
And that makes business sense too, right?
If everyone else is burning out their workforce, being the sane option gives you access to a
different talent pool.
Exactly.
But here's what's worrying.
Recent surveys show that employees are reporting increased demands from employers to use AI
tools to increase output, expand their skill sets, take on wider responsibilities, work
(10:17):
longer hours.
It's not just AI startups anymore.
This culture is spreading.
So even if you're not working at one of these extreme AI companies, you might still feel
the pressure from this broader cultural shift?
That's right.
And this connects to something really important about the nature of technological change.
We're seeing massive layoffs across tech while simultaneously seeing increased productivity
(10:41):
demands.
People are being asked to do more with less, faster than ever before.
Let's get practical for a moment.
If someone's listening to this and they're either considering joining one of these companies
or they're already experiencing pressure at their current job, what should they be thinking
about?
First, they need to understand the real odds.
Yes, some people make life-changing money, but for every Windsurf success story, there
(11:06):
are dozens of companies that demand extreme hours and fail anyway.
Second, they need to honestly assess their personal situation.
Do they have the financial cushion to take this risk?
Do they have family obligations?
What's their actual risk tolerance?
And what about recognizing the warning signs of burnout before it's too late?
(11:27):
The World Health Organization defines burnout through three key dimensions.
Exhaustion, cynicism, and feeling ineffective at your job.
If you're finding yourself unable to relax after work, becoming increasingly negative
about your job and colleagues, or feeling like nothing you do matters, those are red flags.
(11:49):
But here's what I'm struggling with.
If these extreme work cultures become the norm in AI and AI becomes central to every industry,
are we looking at a future where this just spreads everywhere?
That's the trillion-dollar question.
I think we're in a temporary bubble driven by FOMO and the belief that AGI is just around
the corner.
(12:10):
Eventually, when every company is an AI company, this will probably normalize.
But the question is, how much damage do we do to human well-being in the meantime?
And there's a generational aspect here too.
If we're burning out an entire cohort of young tech workers, what does that mean for
the future of innovation?
(12:30):
It's a really good point.
We might be creating a generation that's deeply skeptical of tech culture, or we might be
selecting for people who are willing to sacrifice everything for career advancement.
Neither scenario is great for long-term innovation or societal well-being.
Let's zoom out for a moment.
From a broader societal perspective, what does it say about our economic system when
(12:53):
the most innovative companies feel like they need to extract maximum labor from their workers?
It reveals a fundamental tension in capitalism between short-term, competitive pressure and
long-term human sustainability.
These companies are operating in a winner-take-all environment, where being second might mean
being irrelevant.
(13:14):
But the cost is being borne by individual workers, not just in terms of their health,
but in terms of who gets excluded from participating in this economic opportunity.
Right?
Because if you can't or won't work 80-hour weeks, you're basically locked out of what
could be the most lucrative industry of our time.
Exactly.
And that's not just an individual problem.
(13:36):
It's a societal problem.
We're potentially concentrating the benefits of AI development among a narrow group of
people willing to sacrifice their health for financial gain.
This is making me think about the longer-term cultural implications.
If this becomes normalized, what does that do to our broader expectations about work
and life?
That's the scary part.
(13:57):
Culture is contagious.
When prestigious, successful companies operate this way.
It influences expectations across industries.
We could be witnessing a fundamental shift in what's considered normal professional
dedication.
But surely there are limits.
At some point, doesn't the productivity decline outweigh any benefits?
(14:18):
Absolutely, and research consistently shows that.
Studies on extended work hours find that productivity actually drops significantly after about 50
hours per week.
After 55 hours, you're often getting less output than you would from 40 hours.
But when you're driven by panic about missing a narrow window of opportunity, rational decision-making
(14:41):
goes out the window.
So for our listeners who might be facing these decisions or seeing these trends at their
own companies, what's the takeaway?
First, recognize that this trend is real and likely to persist in the short term.
Second, understand that sustainable high performance looks different from unsustainable
high performance.
(15:01):
You can often achieve more with smarter work than with simply more work.
Third, consider the full-cost benefit analysis, including your health, relationships, and
long-term career sustainability.
And if you're a leader or manager, you have a choice to make.
You can follow the crowd into this extreme culture, or you can differentiate yourself
(15:22):
by creating an environment that attracts people who want to do their best work sustainably.
The research suggests that the second approach might actually give you a competitive advantage,
especially as this trend burns out more and more of the available talent pool.
This feels like one of those moments where we're going to look back in five or ten years
(15:43):
and judge how we handled it.
Either we'll have found a way to harness AI innovation while preserving human well-being,
or we'll have a generation of burned-out tech workers, and a culture that normalized
sacrificing everything for economic advancement.
That's beautifully put, Donna.
And the choices being made right now by individuals, by companies, by investors, and potentially
(16:05):
by regulators will determine which future we get.
For everyone listening, whether you're navigating these decisions personally or just trying
to understand what's happening in the tech world, remember that these extreme work cultures
aren't inevitable.
Their choices, and choices can be changed.
But only if we're honest about the real costs and willing to prioritize long-term human
(16:27):
flourishing over short-term competitive advantage.
And keep in mind that the most sustainable path to breakthrough innovation has always
been through well-rested, creative, diverse teams working at their peak cognitive capacity,
not through burning people out in a sprint to an uncertain finish line.
Yakov, thanks for helping us understand the full scope of what's happening here.
(16:51):
This has been a masterclass in how technological revolutions intersect with human psychology,
business incentives, and social equity.
Thanks for having me, Donna.
And remember, every technological revolution eventually finds its equilibrium.
The question is whether we can influence what that equilibrium looks like.
Until next time, this has been Bite-Sized L&D.
(17:14):
Keep learning, keep questioning, and keep prioritizing your well-being.
No matter what the latest startup culture tries to tell you is normal.
(17:44):
Stay tuned for more updates.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.