This is easy to say, but it is harder to convince others without showing us your data. Even a small table with anonymized company names and a few columns assessing their security foibles and work life balance would go a long way.

I understand most people will say "this is too much work". The problem is that it is all too easy for someone to say "in my experience, X is correlated with Y" ... but that isn't very believable if the observer didn't even write things down.

I don't like asking for everything to be quantified, but it does seem in this case you probably have the data in your head and just need a nudge to write it down.

And yet the person he was replying to had just as little data, full of "in my experience, X, Y".

But it was his comment you chose to "suggest he show the work".

Fair point. Everyone, show us your data! :)

Also, I didn't say it didn't apply. I'm not a perfectly consistent machine you know.

Agreed! :)

This has been my experience as well after 15 years and ~13 companies.

Without exception?

Not that I can recall, though I admit I am very biased against academic CS theory dominant interviews in general for a number of reasons and it is possible this somewhat tints my memory.