Burnout in Tech: Why We Normalize It and What Needs to Change
Burnout in the tech industry has become so common that it’s almost expected—like a badge of honor. Long hours, late-night deploys, endless Slack pings, and the constant pressure to ship faster and do more with less. I’ve lived it, watched others crumble under it, and I’m still trying to untangle my own relationship with it.
But here’s the thing that keeps gnawing at me: why do we accept burnout as a given in tech?
The Culture That Glorifies Burnout
There’s something intoxicating about the early startup grind. You’re building something from nothing, working alongside a small, scrappy team, driven by caffeine and adrenaline. It’s romanticized in countless stories about tech giants that started in garages.
But that energy is often unsustainable. What begins as passion can morph into pressure. When 60-hour weeks become the norm, when PTO is “earned” but never taken, when rest feels like a weakness—that’s when burnout sets in.
The culture of hustle isn’t just perpetuated by founders and execs. It’s in the way we reward the person who pulls an all-nighter to fix a bug, and subtly shame the one who logs off on time. It’s in how we conflate value with visibility—being seen working hard often means more than the results themselves.
Recognizing the Signs (And Ignoring Them Anyway)
I knew I was burning out when I stopped enjoying the work. Things that used to energize me—solving tough problems, mentoring engineers, building systems that scaled—started to feel like chores. I was short-tempered, constantly tired, and numb to wins.
And still, I kept going.
In tech, we’re good at problem-solving—but terrible at self-awareness. We ignore the signs because we think we can push through. We pride ourselves on being resilient, forgetting that resilience isn’t about never breaking—it’s about knowing when to step back.
The Cost of Burnout
The consequences of burnout aren’t just personal—they’re systemic. Burnt out engineers write worse code. Burnt out leaders make poor decisions. Burnt out teams churn through talent.
According to the World Health Organization, burnout is now recognized as an occupational phenomenon, characterized by feelings of energy depletion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy. Sound familiar?
Burnout leads to high turnover, toxic work environments, and ultimately, products that suffer. Yet we still treat it as a personal failing rather than an organizational red flag.
So What Needs to Change?
We need a shift—from glorifying burnout to building cultures that prioritize sustainability. That starts with leadership.
- Normalize boundaries. Celebrate the people who set healthy limits. Make space for PTO. Model balance.
- Measure impact, not hours. If someone gets their work done in 30 hours, they shouldn’t feel pressure to stretch it to 50 just to look committed.
- Create safety to speak up. Employees should be able to say “I’m burned out” without fear of judgment or repercussions.
- Resource properly. Most burnout stems from unrealistic expectations and understaffed teams. It’s not a wellness app problem—it’s a management problem.
My Commitment
I’m no longer impressed by hustle for hustle’s sake. I’m more interested in how you work, not just how much. I’ve been through burnout, and I don’t want to lead teams that make others feel the way I felt.
Tech doesn’t have to be soul-crushing. It can be creative, collaborative, and yes—even sustainable. But we have to choose to build it that way.
So if you’re feeling burned out, know this: you’re not broken, and you’re not alone. And if you’re leading a team, ask yourself honestly—are you creating conditions where people can thrive? Or just survive?
Let’s stop treating burnout like a rite of passage and start treating it like the red flag it is.