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Grindcore is the new hustle culture
In Silicon Valley, long hours have fused with a monastic male wellness aesthetic.
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AI companies increasingly invoke bellicose language to urge staffers to work, while a shaky tech jobs market adds to the pressure.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
Hannah Murphy
On Nov 28, 2025, just a day after Thanksgiving, an engineer at xAI earned gushing praise from his colleagues online after posting a photograph of his Tesla Cybertruck with the caption: “Last night I left the @xai office after ~36 hours of working with no sleep. Although I was dead, I was also super energised... Happy Thanksgiving!”
Silicon Valley has for years embraced hustle culture, initially spoiling employees with free meals, laundry services and playful office spaces in order to cheerfully smooth the way for long office hours.
