In this episode of UnderNDA, we dive into a deep conversation about a major cultural shift sweeping Silicon Valley. Our guest, Jules, a seasoned revenue leader who has taken companies from IPO to bankruptcy and back again, joins us to unpack the rise of “hard-tech hustle culture.”

Fueled by AI’s gold-rush energy, a new expectation has emerged: no booze, no sleep, no fun. Just relentless grind. We explore why founders are embracing this mindset, how it compares to the dot-com era, why camaraderie is disappearing, and what this means for leadership, creativity, burnout, and the loneliness epidemic.

Jules shares firsthand stories from gaming, startups, and big tech, from sleeping under desks to MIT recruits who literally never left the building. She weighs in on whether a company can truly scale when it sacrifices balance, humanity, and diversity of leadership styles.

This is a candid, surprising look at what’s happening behind the scenes in the Bay Area, and what leaders should be thinking about before demanding 996-style dedication from their teams (working at minimum 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week).

Feedback? Let us know!

Season 2 kicks off with a bang, and a new workplace trend to dissect: job hugging. It’s that move where someone becomes the single gatekeeper for… well, everything. Access. Approvals. Vendors. Progress itself. All in the name of staying “indispensable.”

In Episode 1, we walk through a real story of a friendly-but-friction-creating bottleneck, and what happened when he finally took a vacation. (Spoiler: the world kept turning… and faster.)

Join us as we unpack the psychology behind job hugging, why it’s rising, and how great leaders can spot and solve it before work grinds to a crawl. Season 2 is here, and we're starting with a choke point. Let's go.

Feedback? Let us know!

If you thought your awkward Zoom moment was bad… buckle up.

In this episode of Under NDA, hosts Dorian and Woody are joined by guest Linda, a longtime employee benefits consultant, to share two unforgettable stories from the remote work era.

First up: a marketing team member dials into a Zoom call from what sounded suspiciously like a waterpark. When asked about it? Denial. Next: a senior account manager joins an all-hands meeting shirtless after a post run cool down, unaware his camera’s on and dozens of coworkers are watching. Whoops.

We explore the rise of video call mishaps, remote work culture, and the bigger questions behind accountability, honesty, and leadership in the age of working from anywhere.

🎙️ If you’ve ever been on mute, off mute, or just off your game, this one’s for you.

👉 Subscribe, share, and send your anonymous workplace story to underndapodcast.com.

Feedback? Let us know!