In this episode of UnderNDA, we dive into a deep conversation about a major cultural shift sweeping Silicon Valley. Our guest, Jules, a seasoned revenue leader who has taken companies from IPO to bankruptcy and back again, joins us to unpack the rise of “hard-tech hustle culture.”
Fueled by AI’s gold-rush energy, a new expectation has emerged: no booze, no sleep, no fun. Just relentless grind. We explore why founders are embracing this mindset, how it compares to the dot-com era, why camaraderie is disappearing, and what this means for leadership, creativity, burnout, and the loneliness epidemic.
Jules shares firsthand stories from gaming, startups, and big tech, from sleeping under desks to MIT recruits who literally never left the building. She weighs in on whether a company can truly scale when it sacrifices balance, humanity, and diversity of leadership styles.
This is a candid, surprising look at what’s happening behind the scenes in the Bay Area, and what leaders should be thinking about before demanding 996-style dedication from their teams (working at minimum 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week).
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