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Comment by vlunkr | Hacker News Reader

> putting in 60 hours a week

I would just get a new job. Unless you're volunteering for it and getting paid overtime, that is unacceptable.

A lot of workers in technology are getting paid in equity. For many, it makes it more than acceptable. It's not really anyone's place to tell someone else that the way they're making money is unacceptable without knowing all of the details.

I put in 60-70 hour weeks routinely. I work at companies I founded and own. I don't make overtime. Is my work schedule unacceptable?

What is the percentage of equity between 0% and 100% that makes working above 40 hours per week "acceptable"? Who picks?

I think it should be obvious that that's not what I'm talking about. If I'm employed to work 40 hours a week, I'm not going to work more than that on a regular basis.

What if you are employed "full time" with the expectation that that means substantially more than 40 hours (and your compensation package includes equity in the company)?

That is the (commonplace) situation that I am describing, that almost all of my friends and acquaintances in this industry (developers) find themselves in.

They don't find it unacceptable, or they'd go do something else.

If you go in expecting to work that much, great, but I think it's easy for people to be manipulated and overworked for the good of a company when they should push back for their own good.

I guess my point is that it's not your place to tell other professional adults what they should do "for their own good" when their own opinions contradict yours in practice, as they would be the top world expert on what is or isn't in the interest of their own good.

Beyond pedantic. Very few people are in positions of legitimate control in early stage situations. It is generally good advice to not give more than you are worth.

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