practically every industry follows, apparently with great success
But Silicon Valley doesn’t have a completely different philosophy from similar professions. Do doctors, lawyers, financiers, small businessmen, etc, typically work only 40 hours? To suggest it is to laugh. If anything, they work longer hours than software engineers. The 40-hour week you’re talking about is a norm among factory workers, which is an entirely different type of labour.
But Silicon Valley doesn’t have a completely different philosophy from similar professions. Do doctors, lawyers, financiers, small businessmen, etc, typically work only 40 hours? To suggest it is to laugh. If anything, they work longer hours than software engineers. The 40-hour week you’re talking about is a norm among factory workers, which is an entirely different type of labour.
Silicon Valley also provides the opportunity for frequent fun breaks—google Google (that is, search on the ’net for images of Google offices :-D).