Or the only thing they do in life is come to the office and then mix life with work so effectively it’s a combination of hanging out with friends, eating free food, and working, but it all goes into the work bucket when claims are made about how much they work.

Nothing wrong with that per se, I basically did that in grad school. It’s completely different than actually grinding 100 hours a week though. Also tough to be a part of if you have a life or family outside work.

Yep, that's what I thought too. I contrast it with an accident and emergency consultant I know in the UK. He actually is grinding 70 hours a week and not compensated for it. He works long hours because there aren't enough staff to cover the reality of what's needed.

I do this several times a year. It’s a lot of fun. You basically camp with colleagues and get a lot of collaborative work done. Then you detach and do your deep thinking. The problem is top performers eventually gain an ego and stop attending, and then it just turns into pathetic signaling.

A lot of people also equate "face time in the office" to "real work getting done". Especially prevalent in finance circles.

ibb folks definitely work this much every week. big law too. medicine, sometimes.