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Working overtime (here and there) and Crunch Mode might not necessarily be the same thing. The problem is it's hard to break the shackles. Imagine when a new person joins this small group of people. They see you are all working until 10pm, how does that make them feel about their responsibilities of being "accepted"?

It's just not healthy for any sustained amount of time. I don't know what kind of lifestyle you are living when your only activities are sleep (less than you need), eating (less than you should, and/or unhealthy food) and work.

I think a lot of developers, having grown up hearing stories like this, also see it as something of a rite of passage. It's good for confidence and team cohesion, but I agree with the author that it's not sustainable and no manager should be dictating overtime. If the team wants to push through, that's on them.

Then what's the big deal about paying them overtime?