The debate around the 9–9–6 work schedule strikes me as oddly shallow. Startups in China have been doing this for years, and I remember back in the mid-2010s it was practically an article of faith among people watching the industry that this was why Chinese startups would beat their American counterparts.
But here’s the truth: no one has to force you to work long hours if you really want to. The founders and early employees who push hardest aren’t usually doing it because someone set the office lights to stay on until midnight. They’re doing it because they care. It’s not obedience — it’s compulsion.
The Role of Urgency
In industries where being first really matters — ridesharing a decade ago, or AI today — the only advantage you can really compound is speed. If you and your competitors are equally talented, and you both see the same opportunity, the one who simply spends more hours in the problem space has the edge. Time becomes the rawest form of capital.
This doesn’t mean it’s sustainable forever. It rarely is. But there’s a reason why some companies choose it anyway: because the window for success may only open once.
The Shift That Happens With Age
When I was younger, I worked longer hours, and not because someone told me to. At 22, few other time-intensive priorities, my work was my best use of time.
But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that companies aren’t just paying for hours anymore. They’re paying for judgment. For the ability to make good calls quickly. For the ability to know which doors are worth opening. They’re paying for experience, for the network that makes introductions possible, and for the intuition that keeps you from wasting months chasing the wrong idea.
So yes, I work fewer hours now. But I don’t feel guilty about it. If anything, the work I do now counts for more than the hours I used to put in.
Time as Leverage
There’s a progression here that mirrors how startups themselves evolve. In the earliest stage, what you need is sheer effort. Later on, effort compounds into something more valuable: leverage. A founder who is good at hiring can accomplish more in a 50-hour week than they used to in a 90-hour one, because they’ve figured out how to multiply their time.
Individuals work the same way. What you do in your early 20s is different from what you do in your 30s or 40s, because what you’re bringing to the table is different. If you still think output is proportional to hours worked, you’re probably underrating the compound returns of experience.
And that’s why I don’t worry about not grinding quite as hard as I used to. The form of work has changed, but not the commitment to it.