Do you think the 9-9-6 work culture is right?
Yesterday, I came across a job posting from a specific SF company that offered Yesterday I came across a job posting from a specific SF company that offered a salary of 250k – 1M (including equity), but realistically, I don't think they have that money; they're just grinding to satisfy investors and succumb to too much hustle culture.
Requirement: be available on-site from 9 AM to 9 PM 6 days a week in the office (and I bet even Sunday would be dedicated to meeting some team members in "free time"). In addition, they were willing to hire those who would relocate to SF.
I applied for this job as a joke and was supposed to book a call with someone from the team in less than 2 hours. The fact that it happened on a Saturday night just indicated that they take their hustle culture seriously.
What's your opinion on this? (I won't name the company)
On the one hand, I found the enthusiasm of young people great (I understand that some are around 20 years old), but on the other hand, it seems very restrictive. I don't know how this work works in their office, but I don't think anyone can maintain high levels of commitment and focus for 12 hours at a time. So I assume that during these 12 hours of availability, they may not be 100% dedicated to work. So it may not be very productive and it takes away from personal time. For people who have their own company and a full share, I understand this workload, but for employees, I don't really understand it. Am I weird? :D
Replies
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
Did 9-9-6 once at a rocketship. Output didn’t 2x; bugs did. Money was mostly paper equity. Cool when you own the upside, brutal when you don’t. Short sprints? Maybe. As a default? Nah. If they can’t win with sane hours, the model’s shaky, not the workers.
@alexcloudstar Totally agree on the 'cool when you own the upside' - and you better know darn well that your equity stake isn't going to be rugpulled down the line. As an 'employee' burning like this to make those with the equity possibly succeed is not a great idea. Also like you and @busmark_w_nika said, really hard to find a consistent talent pool of people to build the company with such a life restricting policy.
minimalist phone: creating folders
@alexcloudstar @ngburke working like that for 12 hours? Ok. However, please refrain from doing so in the office, as commuting can add another 2 hours to your schedule. It is bad time and energy distribution.
minimalist phone: creating folders
@alexcloudstar I am pretty curious how long it will be sustainable, but it seems that not many people click on their job positions on LI.
App Finder
I think in some specific cases it could make sense. What kind of work was the offer for?
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@konrad_sx LinkedIn content ownership – simple work you can do from anywhere in the world :D
App Finder
@busmark_w_nika OK, then I agree that it makes no sense. My idea was that with some kind of complex programming or other engineering, you can't replace 1 person that works intensely with 2 people that work less, so in some phases of development it could make sense.
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@konrad_sx yeah, maybe they are trying to create some software, but I do not think that this is a part of Creators for LinkedIn.
vibecoder.date
At that point I'd show up with a cot, sleeping bag, and bag, and sleep in the office anyway, skip the commute.
I only half joke.
I think some people can work these 12 hour days but most people are just going to burn out faster, or grow isolated.
I've done 16 hour shifts but not in a startup grind, and even those got weird, being stuck in a single place starts messing with your perception of time, of self.
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@build_with_aj In our country, some people also work like that (even physically), but the output is durable and physical (usually factory workers). Anyway, such kind a job could be done from anywhere – that one from the company I described.
IXORD
You are right that this is not for everyone, since some people also want to set aside time for themselves, for example to go somewhere alone. I think that when someone starts working there, it feels like you are joining a new family xd
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@ixord I think that in SF, the environment for me wouldn't be friendly. Not so much nature :D
IXORD
@busmark_w_nika But sometimes I meet people who truly live for their work. I respect that, but sometimes I would like to understand how they balance their life. I do not bring up this question in conversations with such people, but I think I will ask it someday, and the answers will likely be different :)
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@bekjon_ibragimov IMO, if they have that money, okay, but do not think that they are so beyond.
SEO Stuff
I agreed on this point working 12 hours a day does not make you productive but yeah it also depends on your interest too. So it depends, case varies.
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@haiqa_irfan I think that when you are close to the founder (or you are the founder), it makes sense, because you bet everything, even your dream. But your dream is not someone else's dream.
SEO Stuff
@busmark_w_nika agreed :)
SEO Stuff
@busmark_w_nika But when the purpose is to support your family, you have to work, timeline does not matter then ): (it could be the case too)
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@haiqa_irfan Context matters too :)
That sounds like classic hustle culture. Big salary ranges and long hours vibes are a red flag for many people cause most humans can’t stay focused 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Then, It really depends on what you want in life, and it’s okay if that’s not this.
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@tsiriniavo_rabemananjara I do not think that they work full 12 hours; they certainly have "empty gaps". Not very effective in terms of brain resting.
MultiDrive
At one of my previous jobs, I covered Europe, the USA, and Australia :D I didn’t have meetings like this very often, but from time to time they happened late in the evening or early in the morning (around 6 a.m.).
I must admit it’s tough, if it’s a short-term situation, that’s okay. But over a longer period, it really affects your private life. So I agree that this kind of schedule is probably easier for younger people.
Still, I think it’s more of a short-term role for anyone. Eventually, people want time for themselves, their families, and self-development - simply a personal life. Otherwise, even higher earnings stop being as attractive as they might seem. 🙂
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@tetianai But you could work from home or remotely, right? There is a full presence required :D
MultiDrive
@busmark_w_nika Remotely, but it still has a huge impact on your life. You can’t really go out because you know you have a meeting later at 9 or 10 p.m.
And the hardest part is when you have a late meeting and another one early the next morning. It didn’t happen very often, but still - I didn’t have a clear schedule; everything felt chaotic.
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@tetianai OMG, I do not have a life because I realised I would be okay not to be out at 10 PM :DD
MultiDrive
@busmark_w_nika :D
If this is a “just a start” company that has suddenly realized its potential due to unexpected customer demand, and is now trying to cope until additional resources are acquired, this approach might make sense. However, it is not suitable
for “life as usual” mode. If this were an IT position, I’d be very cautious. In job interviews, you are often asked to demonstrate how to save milliseconds, yet you are expected to spend your work life at this scale of inefficiency.
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@vladster It sounds too robotic to live a normal life (more like slavery).
Curatora
You are not weird at all. I largely agree with your instinct.
This kind of schedule can make sense for a founding team that has full ownership, full context, and full upside. Expecting the same from employees is a different story. Even with equity on paper, most employees are trading a huge chunk of their personal life for something that may never materialize. The risk and the reward are simply not symmetrical.
There is also a myth that constant pressure produces exceptional work. Short bursts of intensity can work, but sustained 12 hour days usually reduce quality, especially for creative or strategic work. Fresh, calm minds solve problems differently. You cannot brute-force clarity, insight, or good judgment by extending office hours.
Availability does not equal productivity. Being present for 12 hours often just stretches the same amount of real output across more time, while quietly burning people out. Hustle culture looks impressive from the outside, but it rarely compounds in a healthy way.
Ironically, this is something we think about a lot while building @Curatora . The goal is to help people do better work with clearer signal, not more hours. Focused effort beats prolonged pressure almost every time.
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@imtiyazmohammed TL;DR: Work smart, not hard ;) Let's have a look at some countries, they are trying to apply 4 day work week :)