This resonates with my general experience with start-ups. Founders have nice ideas, but don't know how to make them happen (or even if it's possible). They slav

This resonates with my general experience with start-ups. Founders have nice ideas, but don't know how to make them happen (or even if it's possible). They slave-whip their pixies to make the work happen. They don't have an appreciation for the scale of the achievement, and complain about the webpage font being slightly wrong. The solution to any problem is more hours or pivoting. Of course there is better and worse ones, but FWIW, I think this is just what most start-up jobs are (or at least it's not uncommon). Established company jobs are a bit more boring, a bit less exciting, but more organised, and better at getting sustained value out of employees. That includes treating them more like a marathon runner, less like a disposable sprinter, to be replaced after another 200m bout. Again, of course, not all, but certainly more than in start-up world. This kind of tussle is not really for me, and perhaps not for you. If so, go look for another job. What doesn't help is the plethora of articles about how "to make it in a start-up, you must be hard-working, ambitious, driven, talented, good-communicator, and pure of heart. If you don't have it, it's OK, no shame working at Walmart check-out". There is a world out there that values talented, experienced people, just doesn't force them to work in crazy environments.