To each their own. For me, the culture reinforced a sort of blind dedication to a company or a cause. Everyone you would meet or talk to would want to talk tech or entrepreneurship. You could tell they were comparing themselves with you or trying to figure out a way to collaborate. Everything was about work. If you weren't hustling, someone else would out hustle you.
I missed a balance in life. Visiting with friends, family, hiking, talking, enjoying the weather. In the bay, even when I did take a break and venture out to enjoy life, it felt like the world was barren. In comparison to other places I've lived, the food, the culture, art, and life were just bland outside of work. It's just a reflection of the priorities of the people living and working there.
The other thing is, what better way to get return on your business investment. It's obvious that if you cultivate a culture of competitiveness, combined with dangling the carrot of prestige from working at a place that would unlikely become a unicorn, combined with scarcity of resources (expensive housing, high cost of living), you get people burning more of their precious time for the benefit of founders and investors. It's an excellent situation if you are a founder or investor. Aside from experience and skills gained, it's a tough situation if you are an individual contributor.