It doesn't sound like a reality based story to me. I mean, who has the energy to go all out 2 times each day. And when does he sleep? Discount eating, bathroom and commuting and there is not much time left.

Also after working 40 hour weeks for some time I think you really need a weekend to get some stuff done at home and all the personal correspondence. Also you really should relax some time, otherwise you burn out faster then a tea candle.

According to the article, he does take weekends off to relax. And 16 hours a day is not unrealistic, if that is all you do. No kids, no family, no friends, no TV, no games.

If you have a passion for your work, and no life outside of work... sure, it could be done. Not that I have any desire to try it.

I agree that burnout is a serious issue and relaxation is of the utmost importance. That said, I've hit and many times surpassed the 80-hour work week for weekly - and occasionally monthly stretches - plenty of times in my past 10+ years as a developer.

I don't recommend it to others, but I do enjoy it and the fruits thereof (creative, moreso than monetary). I also maintain an active social life and a healthy long-term relationship. Both of which are born of a solid understanding of my strange schedule from those close to me.

I also work from home 90% of the time, which makes it far more manageable. I wouldn't want to attempt my schedule with a commute involved, but I don't doubt it's possible for others.

A small minority of people don't need much sleep. They are bound to be over-represented among workaholics.

True. I also know at least one of those guys.

Being a manager and accutely aware of legal ramifications of hours worked (boring I know), does anyone have any insight into whether there is something in the US akin to the European Worktime Directive? Over here (UK, but the E.U as a whole) the average working week is 40 hours by law, and the worker must opt in to be eligble to work upto a maximum of 70 hours per week. As well as this 70 hour maximum, 11 hours must be taken between end of work one day and start of work the next, and an entire 24 hour period of non-work must be taken once every 7 days, or alternativley a period of 48 hours of non-work must be taken in a 14 day period.

Edit--my spelling is rather shakey.

For the most part in the US, limits on work hours only exist where safety is an issue: truck drivers, people who work on power lines, etc.

Note in this case, Dorsey is working for two different companies, and in at least one of them he's a founding executive. Even in the EU, a founding executive might not be covered by work hour restrictions that apply to his employees.