The point that I am trying to make is not that you can’t have a successful career without drugs, but rather the expectations are much higher across the board be

The point that I am trying to make is not that you can’t have a successful career without drugs, but rather the expectations are much higher across the board because the baseline is set based on performance while on drugs. Plenty of L6s use. Plenty of people in management also use. Am I am strictly talking about amphetamines (and other stimulants), not psychedelics. Unfortunately I’m past the point of joining in and am content with not climbing the ladder, but it’s unfortunate that this culture is rampant. I’ve seen plenty of young engineers get pulled into it because of the pressure to perform and like many others said, there are long term consequences.