"Special snowflake" actually describes quite well stories like the OP which totally are not representative of how the world actually works for 99% out there. Most people have to work very hard much of the time and as a general rule it pays off. [1] Nobody that you have ever read about and for that matter all the people that I have ever met that nobody has ever read about have gotten there working a short schedule. Exceptions? Sure. This nonsense has to end. Unless someone has for some reason hit the tech startup lottery, work hard, as much as you can. You won't always (when you are older) be able to do so.
By the I knew Arrington (mentioned in the article) prior to Tech Crunch. He worked very hard to try and convince me to join Pool.com writing multiple times and not taking no for an answer. Back and forth, negotiating all of that. And I'm glad he did because after agreeing to get involved we made a ton of money from that service for years. I owe that all to the effort that Mike put in and was able to do so because of the hours that he worked (as well as the hours that I worked which was "all the time".)
[1] The problem is people don't realize that some people can work all the time, actually enjoy it and not be stressed. Just like some people can exercise or can climb mountains or swim fast or practice piano or anything else. Just because it burns one person out to work 7 days don't assume that it burns everyone else out to do the same. If you are exceeding your limitations and can't take it don't assume that everyone feels the same way (although they might..)
I think you're confusing intrinsic and extrinsic motivations with willingness to work hard. You're ascribing a behaviour to a character trait or ability (a "type of person") that is IMO usually due to work circumstances (i.e. a situation that person finds themselves in, and well placed to exploit with the resources they have).
Working 7 days on extrinsic motivations is soul destroying.
Doing the same on intrinsic motivations is life affirming.
There's also different types of work. Manual labour can be done for long hours - if you're young. Mentally intensive work can be done briefly for long hours, but it rapidly stops working well. If you work is more about connecting people and motivating them, I think it's a bit more scalable, especially if you can feed from the
emotional energy of interaction.
If you're working overtime all the time chasing a carrot on a string, you're wasting your life on a tomorrow that will probably never come.
If being in the moment isn't its own reward, that moment only pays off when you get the reward at the end. If you need to put in too many of those moments, no reward justifies it.
If your work isn't playful, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
The book Drive, by Daniel Pink, does a good job of explaining the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. I recommend the book regardless, but especially if this topic is intriguing to you.
By the I knew Arrington (mentioned in the article) prior to Tech Crunch. He worked very hard to try and convince me to join Pool.com writing multiple times and not taking no for an answer. Back and forth, negotiating all of that. And I'm glad he did because after agreeing to get involved we made a ton of money from that service for years. I owe that all to the effort that Mike put in and was able to do so because of the hours that he worked (as well as the hours that I worked which was "all the time".)
[1] The problem is people don't realize that some people can work all the time, actually enjoy it and not be stressed. Just like some people can exercise or can climb mountains or swim fast or practice piano or anything else. Just because it burns one person out to work 7 days don't assume that it burns everyone else out to do the same. If you are exceeding your limitations and can't take it don't assume that everyone feels the same way (although they might..)