Tech burnout explained: the reward for hard problems
devanshmehta · x · 2026-08-29
Addressing the high burnout rate in tech, the post argues a core thesis: the world rewards those working on hard problems, not just hard work.
- Tech's Nature: As a new field, tech is full of unsolved hard problems (e.g., liquidity engines for new markets, RL containers for AI). This complexity and uncertainty drive high stress but also high rewards.
- Comparison with Traditional Industries: Jobs like farming or plumbing are hard labor, but their core problems are largely solved with low uncertainty, rarely leading to similar levels of burnout.
The author uses this to explain the paradox of "high salaries + high burnout" in tech, humorously comparing it to early farmers wanting to retire to hunter-gathering.
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