> I've noticed a definite difference between programmers working on their own startups and those working for large organizations. I wouldn't say founders seem h

> I've noticed a definite difference between programmers working on their own startups and those working for large organizations. I wouldn't say founders seem happier, necessarily; starting a startup can be very stressful. Maybe the best way to put it is to say that they're happier in the sense that your body is happier during a long run than sitting on a sofa eating doughnuts. I this this is a good analogy but I don't draw the same conclusion Paul does. I trained for a marathon last summer, and it sucked. Long distance running and racing has been associated with diminished lifespans [0], organ damage [1], weakened immune system [2], and lowered sex drive [3]. This research isn't conclusive by any means, but it's a lot easier to explain if you believe in an upside-down U-shaped relationship between exercise and well-being than a monotonic relationship. (I personally found that my sweet spot was under 100 km/week, any more than that and I got sick and tired and felt beat-down.) Same with being a CEO. It's great to be your own boss. It's generally hard on your body, soul, and relationships to work 100 hours a week. If your ambition is to have a 5k/month side project and live on that, that's probably good for your health. If it's to make and sell a billion dollar company, that's probably not. That's not to say that _working_ at a startup isn't great. I just wouldn't want to start one. And unless you do, you're probably going to have a boss. [0] https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/%20S0025-6196(15)00621-7/fulltext https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/%20S0025-6196(... [1] https://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386(17)30536-X/fulltext https://www.ajkd.org/article/S0272-6386(17)30536-X/fulltext [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17465622 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17465622 [3] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-libido-men-workouts/years-of-intense-exercise-tied-to-dip-in-male-libido-idUSKBN16O1Y8 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-libido-men-workout...