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I did 6 12-hour days for 2 months in the late 1980s. Light industrial warehouse work, active but not strenuous work. I got plenty of sleep. Ate a decent diet. Still felt myself going insane.

"But it's efficient." [adds 140GW burden to the power grid]

Don’t tell me Lennon and McCartney got it wrong and it shouldda been “Nine Days a Week”!?

Twice the hours, half the productivity!!

Being more productive with less strain thanks to AI means you get more from working more: companies are a constant fight against coordination costs between teams. If one person can do it all, it’s best to not introduce others who don’t exactly align with them. So, not just 996, but isolation too.

Makes me think of this post and how the online far-right longs for the leisurely life of a plantation owner

The possibility of crushing workers is a big reason execs are fully in the hype

Let’s make this cool again. I mean, sure, “If Books could Kill” pointed out that it boiled down to: “a willingness to take risks and a modestly sized fraud operation built on Third World labor,” but I support the aspiration.

From 2000-2006, I was on call as an escort 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was my choice, and laid the foundation for my being able to retire 5 years ago. But it also burned me out badly by summer of '06, and it was 4 years before I could induce myself to return to escorting.

That’s always been my concern with productivity tools—they help us produce more, but not necessarily live more.