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Lies, damn lies, and statistics… > 4 in 5 tech execs are taking medications ("controlled substances"), and among that cohort 1 in 2 use them "every day or near

by sh34r 3y ago

Lies, damn lies, and statistics… > 4 in 5 tech execs are taking medications ("controlled substances"), and among that cohort 1 in 2 use them "every day or nearly every day." Would it be surprising to anyone to find out that ~40% of tech leaders are neurodivergent? Programmer and related jobs are at the top of every list of suggested careers for people with ADHD. > 1 in 3 used controlled substances such as amphetamines and sleeping pills specifically to cope with work stress and long hours. What a poorly worded question. Why not ask specifically: do you abuse amphetamines to work longer hours? Do you abuse opiates, ketamine, cannabis, or benzos to “wind down?” Do you use benzos occasionally for work related panic attacks? They’re being extremely weaselly by grouping all controlled substances together here. Would it concern anyone to find out that 33% of tech leaders smoke weed occasionally to relax? And what’s the overlap between the 40% of daily users and this cope cohort? I suspect it’s vanishingly small, but they won’t provide that data, because they’re pushing an agenda here. > 1 in 2 self-reported as qualifying as heavy drinkers (3-7 drinks per day) There is a world of difference between the bottom and top end of that range. It’s the difference between an unhealthy habit and straight-up alcoholism. Conflating the two further reveals the overwhelming bias of this article.

choruspreacher 3y ago
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meltyness 3y ago
This is all oddly specific.
foobarbecue 3y ago
3 a day seems like a reasonable threshold for heavy drinking. That's a lot. I'm pretty amazed that 50% are heavy drinkers. Not sure why there's a max in this range though; they should have just said 3 or more. Some of your other concerns have more to do with this article's representation of the survey than the survey itself: https://apn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/APN-Tech-Execs-Mini-Report-Outline-3.pdf https://apn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/APN-Tech-Execs-Mi...
- stcroixx 3y ago
  Same reason many people in sales are heavy drinkers - they wine and dine and entertain people to convince them to give them money, usually to their detriment, which is easier to stomach by all if they're drunk.
stcroixx 3y ago
I would personally be surprised if tech leaders are anywhere near as likely to be neurodivergent as tech workers in general. Too many MBA types and money chasers in tech over the last couple of decades and they're all going after these leadership positions - these people are nothing like typical IT folks.
- deleted 3y ago
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- choruspreacher 3y ago
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- mschuster91 3y ago
  > I would personally be surprised if tech leaders are anywhere near as likely to be neurodivergent as tech workers in general. There are disturbing links between "business leaders" and psychopaths - a topic well discussed during the period of the 45th [1], but it's been around way before that worst case entered politics [2]. The problem is that stock markets appraise actions that need a ruthless, cold-hearted arsehole to execute... most infamously mass layoffs of workers despite the company being wildly profitable or giving them so little spare time that they're forced to piss in bottles. This is not something an individual with a healthy mind would order. [1] https://fortune.com/2021/06/06/corporate-psychopaths-business-leadership-csr/ https://fortune.com/2021/06/06/corporate-psychopaths-busines... [2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/04/25/the-disturbing-link-between-psychopathy-and-leadership/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/04/25/the-dis...
  - spacemadness 3y ago
    And what’s even better is our culture in-turn celebrates sociopaths as successful role models.
  - foobarbecue 3y ago
    By "appraise," did you mean "reward"?
  - 3y ago
DragonStrength 3y ago
Stimulants and people in power go together, but that doesn't mean they are neurodivergent. They could just like drugs.
spacemadness 3y ago
3 drinks a day everyday is not healthy. If you’re on 3 a day you’re on the train to 7 a day and alcoholism.
- sh34r 3y ago
  I said 3 a day is unhealthy. I’ve been there in my early 20s. It’s not good. You will get fat. It’s definitely risky that it will continue to escalate. And yet I knocked it off before anyone would ever label me as an alcoholic, before I’d think I had any business going to a meeting. And honestly, coffee has proven much harder to kick than my minor drinking “problem.” Scare quotes because it was a problem, but it barely registers on the scale of what most people consider a drinking problem. These are usually reported as averages, not floors. I’m interpreting it as “21 drinks per week.” “At least 3 drinks every single day” is a much more serious problem IMO. 7 drinks a day is a fifth of vodka every other day. That’s at the point where you’re likely driving drunk regularly, and need to spike your morning coffee to stop the shakes. I’d be less annoyed if they just said “3 or more drinks a day.” Putting the 7 there is designed to frame the problem as more severe. Imagine if the range said “3-17 drinks per day” instead. Then it would be too obvious what they were doing.
GeneralMayhem 3y ago
3 drinks a day every day is absolutely alcoholism. 1 drink a day every day is probably a hard-to-stop habit.

by sh34r 3y ago

choruspreacher 3y ago

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meltyness 3y ago

This is all oddly specific.

foobarbecue 3y ago

3 a day seems like a reasonable threshold for heavy drinking. That's a lot. I'm pretty amazed that 50% are heavy drinkers. Not sure why there's a max in this range though; they should have just said 3 or more. Some of your other concerns have more to do with this article's representation of the survey than the survey itself: https://apn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/APN-Tech-Execs-Mini-Report-Outline-3.pdf https://apn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/APN-Tech-Execs-Mi...

stcroixx 3y ago
Same reason many people in sales are heavy drinkers - they wine and dine and entertain people to convince them to give them money, usually to their detriment, which is easier to stomach by all if they're drunk.

stcroixx 3y ago

I would personally be surprised if tech leaders are anywhere near as likely to be neurodivergent as tech workers in general. Too many MBA types and money chasers in tech over the last couple of decades and they're all going after these leadership positions - these people are nothing like typical IT folks.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
choruspreacher 3y ago
[dead]
mschuster91 3y ago
> I would personally be surprised if tech leaders are anywhere near as likely to be neurodivergent as tech workers in general. There are disturbing links between "business leaders" and psychopaths - a topic well discussed during the period of the 45th [1], but it's been around way before that worst case entered politics [2]. The problem is that stock markets appraise actions that need a ruthless, cold-hearted arsehole to execute... most infamously mass layoffs of workers despite the company being wildly profitable or giving them so little spare time that they're forced to piss in bottles. This is not something an individual with a healthy mind would order. [1] https://fortune.com/2021/06/06/corporate-psychopaths-business-leadership-csr/ https://fortune.com/2021/06/06/corporate-psychopaths-busines... [2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/04/25/the-disturbing-link-between-psychopathy-and-leadership/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/04/25/the-dis...
- spacemadness 3y ago
  And what’s even better is our culture in-turn celebrates sociopaths as successful role models.
- foobarbecue 3y ago
  By "appraise," did you mean "reward"?
- 3y ago

DragonStrength 3y ago

Stimulants and people in power go together, but that doesn't mean they are neurodivergent. They could just like drugs.

spacemadness 3y ago

3 drinks a day everyday is not healthy. If you’re on 3 a day you’re on the train to 7 a day and alcoholism.

sh34r 3y ago
I said 3 a day is unhealthy. I’ve been there in my early 20s. It’s not good. You will get fat. It’s definitely risky that it will continue to escalate. And yet I knocked it off before anyone would ever label me as an alcoholic, before I’d think I had any business going to a meeting. And honestly, coffee has proven much harder to kick than my minor drinking “problem.” Scare quotes because it was a problem, but it barely registers on the scale of what most people consider a drinking problem. These are usually reported as averages, not floors. I’m interpreting it as “21 drinks per week.” “At least 3 drinks every single day” is a much more serious problem IMO. 7 drinks a day is a fifth of vodka every other day. That’s at the point where you’re likely driving drunk regularly, and need to spike your morning coffee to stop the shakes. I’d be less annoyed if they just said “3 or more drinks a day.” Putting the 7 there is designed to frame the problem as more severe. Imagine if the range said “3-17 drinks per day” instead. Then it would be too obvious what they were doing.

GeneralMayhem 3y ago

3 drinks a day every day is absolutely alcoholism. 1 drink a day every day is probably a hard-to-stop habit.