I'm not here to debate which country works harder. Among other things, I'm not at all convinced that it's good for a society for people to be so devoted to thei

I'm not here to debate which country works harder. Among other things, I'm not at all convinced that it's good for a society for people to be so devoted to their jobs. But it's worth pointing out that the U.S.'s famous 9-to-5 is completely inapplicable to any sort of high-demand job. For many people in a demanding profession like tech, a 9-to-5 job would be an absolute (and often unattainable) dream. Where I live (Washington, D.C.) people who want a 9-to-5 will generally leave industry altogether and work for the government. (And even there, a true 9-to-5 can be elusive.)