I think it’s a bit of a choice, but also a result of tech workers definitionally being higher leverage employees. I worked at a giant employer in SF with a tall tower, and I had plenty of periods where I had to grind 12+ hours a day to perform at a high level, because my managers knew I’d do it if they dangled things in front of me, and if I didn’t, it was going to be visible enough to be very problematic for my career there.

Then I had periods where I’d crushed the before time, and could get away with walking the street shooting photography for 4 hours, as long as I didn’t have meetings. My attainment wasn’t that different in either case, I just got put on easier stuff, because I’d made it.

The shitty part is how easily the wrong manager can throw you back into that first place and effectively squeeze you, if you’re not an unequivocal top performer. In the past, I don’t get the sense that companies were as ruthlessly efficient and eager to cut out people who were good enough, but not excellent. It seems like it was easier to hang around, whereas now you have to grind and be the best for a nontrivial period of time to earn the right to relax a bit.