Why Grind Culture Has Lost Its Mind

The "Grind Culture" has escalated past productive. Let’s analyze the excesses of hustle culture and the inevitability of burnout.

POV: You roll out of bed, crusty-eyed and optimistic, and open LinkedIn. Immediately, you're assaulted by Random Chad #47 (you don't even remember accepting his connection request) posting AI-generated drivel about how "the lion doesn't sleep—it calculates its attack on the stock market." Sir, this is a Wendy's.

You scroll further. Another guy's vulnerability post about how his "failure" (which was definitely his fault) somehow led to his acceptance at another startup. Revolutionary stuff. Real edge-of-your-seat content.

You've had enough LinkedIn for one day, so you escape to TikTok. Surely it'll be better there, right? Wrong. Same energy, different platform. Now, some finance bro is oversharing about how he's a "Ralph Lauren and Porsche kind of grinder, not a Tesla and Nike fit kind of guy." What does that even mean?

If you're in any business-adjacent function right now, I can guarantee you've witnessed this madness. The real question is: Why is this happening, and what fresh heck has it unleashed upon us?

The algorithm made me do it (no really, it did)

Here's the uncomfortable truth: hustle culture went viral because... well, virality pays. Social media algorithms love engagement, and nothing gets people rage-commenting faster than some 22-year-old claiming they wake up at 4 AM to "dominate their inbox."

Platforms like LinkedIn have essentially gamified professional content, rewarding hot takes and humble brags over actual substance. According to Forbes, LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes content that sparks conversation, which is corporate speak for "controversial nonsense gets more views." The result? A performative nightmare where everyone's trying to out-grind each other for those sweet, sweet impressions.

TikTok's doing the same thing with #hustleculture content, which has racked up billions of views. It's essentially created an arms race of productivity theater, of which we’re all casualties.

Everyone’s selling something special (especially themselves)

Let's be real: most of these grindset gurus aren't grinding, they're selling you courses on how to grind. It's a pyramid scheme of productivity porn.

The rise of the "personal brand" has turned everyone into a walking billboard for their own alleged success. The Wall Street Journal found that excessive self-promotion on professional networks can actually damage credibility, but it hasn't stopped the deluge. Everyone's positioning themselves as the next Gary Vee or Alex Hormozi, hoping to monetize their "journey" before they've actually accomplished anything.

Spoiler alert: If someone's spending 6 hours a day posting about grinding, they're probably not grinding as hard as they claim.

We’re all burnt out and pretending we’re not

Here's the truth: grind content thrives because we're collectively exhausted and desperately seeking validation that our burnout means something. A new study shows burnout rates have skyrocketed (66% in 2025), especially among young professionals, and hustle culture content offers a twisted form of comfort.

If everyone else is also sacrificing sleep, relationships, and mental health for "success," then maybe we’re doing it right? Wrong. It's just normalized dysfunction with better captions and a Ring Light.

The grind culture epidemic is gaslighting us into believing that rest is weakness and balance is for losers.

The bottom line

Grind culture lost its mind somewhere between "work hard" and "make work your entire personality." So maybe,  we can all agree to log off, touch some grass, and remember that lions actually sleep 18-20 hours a day (we checked).