Working at a Hyper Growth Startup
Working at a Hyper Growth Startup
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Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash
The Reality of 90-Hour Weeks
90 hours per week don’t feel like it if you’re in it. You’re just busy: talking to colleagues, friends, traveling, and constantly context-switching. The hours blur together not because you’re suffering, but because you’re engaged. There’s always another problem to solve, another conversation to have, another decision to make.
It also doesn’t feel like it when the work is meaningful and top management requests you. When leadership trusts you with critical initiatives, when your contributions directly shape the company’s trajectory, you don’t second-guess; you just execute. The weight of responsibility becomes energizing rather than crushing.
But here’s what I’ve learned: intensity is sustainable only if you’re intentional about it. The people who burn out aren’t necessarily working the most hours—they’re the ones who lose control of their time, who react instead of act, who let the work consume them rather than channeling it purposefully.
Staying Sane: The Non-Negotiables
You still need to stay sane and take breaks to think. This isn’t optional; it’s essential infrastructure for sustained performance.
For me, running in the mountains with music and being alone really helps. It gives me space to process what is going on: what to do, what not to do, and how to add value and follow up with people. There’s something about physical exertion in nature that clears the mental cache, that allows problems to reorganize themselves into solutions.
It also makes me feel like I did something for my body, and it allows my mind to work better afterwards. It’s my daily mini requirement for calling a day successful beyond work. No matter how many meetings I had or how many fires I put out, if I got my run in, the day counts.
This might sound indulgent when you’re working 90-hour weeks, but it’s actually the opposite. The run isn’t taking time away from work—it’s making the remaining work time more effective. A clear head makes better decisions. A healthy body has more energy. The investment pays dividends.
The Tradeoffs: What I’ve Given Up
Some tradeoffs are unavoidable. Hyper-growth demands focus, and focus means saying no to things you might otherwise enjoy.
Giving up pickleball. I have to give up playing pickleball. I can’t keep up with friends who have more time, and it doesn’t feel as efficient to me as a workout. This was hard—I genuinely enjoyed the game and the social aspect. But when time is scarce, you have to optimize. Running gives me exercise, solitude, and mental clarity in one activity. Pickleball, as fun as it is, requires coordination with others and doesn’t serve the same purposes.
Being selective with relationships. I have to be selective with who I talk to, and what I agree to do outside of work, to protect my time. This sounds harsh, but it’s actually about respect—both for my own capacity and for the people I do spend time with. Better to be fully present with fewer people than scattered across many.
Saying no to good opportunities. Not every interesting project, every coffee chat, every side venture can get a yes. The opportunity cost of time is highest when you’re in a hyper-growth environment. Every hour has to count.
Health as Strategy
I also re-read the book This Naked Mind, which helped me stop drinking again, and I focused on healthier food so that I don’t feel bad. This wasn’t about virtue—it was about performance.
Alcohol, even in moderate amounts, degrades sleep quality, reduces morning sharpness, and adds unnecessary calories. When you’re operating at high intensity, these marginal effects compound. Cutting alcohol wasn’t a sacrifice; it was an upgrade.
Similarly, food choices matter more when you’re under stress. The temptation is to reach for convenience—fast food, snacks, whatever’s easy. But the short-term convenience creates long-term drag. I’ve learned to meal prep, to keep healthy options available, to treat nutrition as part of the job rather than separate from it.
The body is the platform on which everything else runs. Neglect it, and everything degrades. Invest in it, and everything improves.
Culture and Relationships
Many meetings with colleagues became friendships. We do hackathons, but we also talk to top management—and everybody is really kind and understanding. I love the blameless culture and how professional everybody is.
This is one of the underappreciated aspects of working at a great company during hyper-growth: the relationships you build are forged under pressure. When you’re solving hard problems together, when you’re navigating ambiguity and uncertainty as a team, bonds form that wouldn’t develop in calmer environments.
The blameless culture is crucial. In high-stakes environments, mistakes happen. What matters is how the organization responds. A culture that focuses on learning rather than blame creates psychological safety, which in turn enables risk-taking and innovation. People try things, fail, learn, and try again. That’s how you move fast.
The professionalism matters too. Everyone is operating at a high level, which raises the bar for everyone else. You’re surrounded by people who are good at what they do, who take their work seriously, who push each other to be better. This environment is demanding, but it’s also deeply satisfying.
Filling the Gaps
And I also see gaps and work on actively filling them. This is perhaps the most important mindset for thriving in hyper-growth: don’t wait to be told what to do.
In a fast-growing company, there are always more problems than people to solve them. Processes that worked at one scale break at the next. Roles that were well-defined become ambiguous. Coordination that happened naturally requires explicit effort.
The people who succeed in these environments are the ones who see what needs to be done and do it. They don’t wait for permission or perfect clarity. They identify gaps, propose solutions, and execute. They take ownership beyond their formal responsibilities.
This isn’t about being a hero or working even more hours. It’s about being proactive, about having agency, about treating the company’s problems as your problems. When you operate this way, you become indispensable—not because you’re doing more, but because you’re doing what matters.
The Bottom Line
Working at a hyper-growth startup is intense. It demands more than a normal job—more hours, more focus, more sacrifice. But it also offers more: more impact, more learning, more growth, more meaningful relationships.
The key is sustainability. You can’t sprint forever, but you can run fast for a long time if you’re smart about it. Protect your health. Maintain your non-negotiables. Be intentional about tradeoffs. Build relationships that matter. Fill the gaps that need filling.
It’s not for everyone, and it’s not forever. But for the right person at the right time, it’s an extraordinary experience.