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> So like the multi-billionaire CEO who's only in that position because he works 80hr/wk and never turns it off... I do not believe this narrative that is only

> So like the multi-billionaire CEO who's only in that position because he works 80hr/wk and never turns it off... I do not believe this narrative that is only confirmed by billionaires themselves. They mostly rely on the work in others for their success, why working more hours would even have an impact?

refenestrator 5y ago
They work to stay on top of the pile. Working for impact, or for the business or customers is a career limiting decision several levels below CEO with a few exceptions, usually original founders. Everyone else gets filtered out.
tonyedgecombe 5y ago
I was reading an interesting article about investment banking recently, it was quite clear that the further up the greasy pole bankers climb the less hours they work. The people at the top were only doing half the hours of those entering the profession.
dgb23 5y ago
Depends on what you define as work, or rather the difficulty and quality of it per hour. Example: An accountant who works 8h/d does very taxing, mental work. They require high concentration and precision, it’s often quite boring stuff, but still, they have to get things right, quickly, constantly. A manager or director might effectively work more hours, but those hours typically have a much more natural rhythm to them. The vast majority of it is communication or preparing for such. The hard part is making the right decisions, listening learning (broad sense), but it’s not detailed and constant. We programmers tend to complain when we have too many meetings and purely conceptual/communicative work, because it doesn’t „feel“ like work and getting things done, right? There’s a hint there. For me, 3-4h of highly concentrated programming and testing is much more taxing than a full day of communication/learning. Much more.
- cutemonster 5y ago
  For me, 5-8 h highly concentrated programming is relaxation :-) (at least when working on my own things) Interesting example with the accountant: constant precision required, although monotonous. Not easy

refenestrator 5y ago

They work to stay on top of the pile. Working for impact, or for the business or customers is a career limiting decision several levels below CEO with a few exceptions, usually original founders. Everyone else gets filtered out.

tonyedgecombe 5y ago

I was reading an interesting article about investment banking recently, it was quite clear that the further up the greasy pole bankers climb the less hours they work. The people at the top were only doing half the hours of those entering the profession.

dgb23 5y ago

Depends on what you define as work, or rather the difficulty and quality of it per hour. Example: An accountant who works 8h/d does very taxing, mental work. They require high concentration and precision, it’s often quite boring stuff, but still, they have to get things right, quickly, constantly. A manager or director might effectively work more hours, but those hours typically have a much more natural rhythm to them. The vast majority of it is communication or preparing for such. The hard part is making the right decisions, listening learning (broad sense), but it’s not detailed and constant. We programmers tend to complain when we have too many meetings and purely conceptual/communicative work, because it doesn’t „feel“ like work and getting things done, right? There’s a hint there. For me, 3-4h of highly concentrated programming and testing is much more taxing than a full day of communication/learning. Much more.

cutemonster 5y ago
For me, 5-8 h highly concentrated programming is relaxation :-) (at least when working on my own things) Interesting example with the accountant: constant precision required, although monotonous. Not easy