I do not believe for one second that working 9-9-6 or any of this shit makes for great companies or success. I do think it’s true that companies that win work really hard, but they do so because they’re doing quality work on quality problems for fair compensation. Hard work is a positive feedback loop from success– not the cause of success.
You cannot make a culture of overwork to succeed. You can work on important problems, do quality work, build quality teams, respect your employees and customers, and all manner of other things. And as a result, doing good quality work and working hard is infectious.
And sometimes we choose to overwork– especially those of us who have true ownership. Sometimes that’s necessary. Often it’s actually something to protect against.
Mostly overwork results in bad health and worse work.