Why Long Hours Don’t Guarantee Wealth, According to Simon Squibb

In a recent LinkedIn post, Simon Squibb challenges the idea that long working hours are a badge of success, asking whether they bring either happiness or financial security. This article reports on Squibb’s post and examines the argument he makes there; it is not written by him.

“Hustle culture is so cringe.”

The limits of counting hours

Squibb questions the way some workers talk about putting in 70-hour weeks, suggesting that the number of hours alone says little about whether a person enjoys their work or earns more from it. He frames the issue as one of outcomes and wellbeing, rather than effort measured by time.

To make that point, Squibb refers to nurses working 12-hour shifts. Their demanding schedules, he argues, do not guarantee high incomes or financial stability. The comparison underlines his broader claim: hard work matters, but hours worked are not a reliable measure of wealth.

“Because if hours made you rich, every nurse in this country would be a millionaire.”

Enjoyment changes how work feels

Squibb does not present himself as someone who avoids effort. He describes recording a voiceover late at night while on holiday, improvising to prevent an echo. The anecdote supports his distinction between working long hours out of obligation and spending time on work a person values.

“I don’t count the hours I work, because I love what I do,” Squibb writes. In his view, people who keep track of every hour may be trying to endure jobs they do not enjoy. That is his interpretation of the habit, rather than a claim that every person working long hours feels the same way.

Effort and satisfaction are not the same measure

Squibb’s post separates dedication from the public performance of being busy. He acknowledges that he works hard, while questioning whether announcing a 70-hour week should be treated as proof of achievement. The contrast invites readers to consider what the work is producing—and whether it is sustainable or fulfilling.

Risk, not just time, in Squibb’s account of wealth

Squibb also argues that adding hours is not, by itself, a path to becoming rich. Drawing on his own observations of wealthy people he knows, he says they took significant risks. His post does not offer data or define what counts as a “big risk,” so the point is best read as his personal perspective rather than a universal formula for building wealth.

“I can’t think of one who got there by clocking more hours than everyone else.”

Together, Squibb’s examples make a case against treating overwork as a shortcut to success. He asks readers to look beyond the hours and consider income, satisfaction and the risks behind a career or business. The post’s central message is that time spent working may show effort, but Squibb argues it cannot, on its own, establish happiness or financial success.