Having worked at companies with varying degrees of "hustle" culture, I have to say I prefer (and I know others who prefer) the hustle, the energy, the sense of urgency, the culture of always being present and checked in. If you've got in-born hustle, it's tough to work around people without it. Once lack of hustle takes hold, it spreads like a virus through a company, and soon everyone comes down with this "eh, we can always do it later" attitude about everything. People start not taking deadlines seriously, start worrying more about taking time to build consensus rather than being quick and decisive. Roll in late to meetings, etc. You can even see it watching foot traffic--non-hustlers physically walk slower through the halls. Companies that hustle aren't for everyone but let's not condemn it. It's good to have a variety of work cultures available because different personalities work better in different environments.
Note the above rant doesn't excuse illegal or discriminatory behavior. I'm just addressing the simplistic "hustle = bad" argument.
"...the culture of always being present and checked in..."
So people who like to stop working (you know, weekends, nights, etc.) need not apply? How did the world ever progress when we had companies willing to quit bugging people with inane busywork? So much of "hustle" is "look at me I'm emailing at 9:30 PM I must be super dedicated!"
"eh, we can always do it later" - I think this is what some people hear when somebody who's played the game before says "we can take the time to do it right" - they know that in the long run you get a better product and they won't be stuck issuing hotfixes at 2 AM. Sometimes you need to get to MVP quick, true, but sometimes the arbitrary deadline that a dudebro pulled out of their ass is just that.
You're misunderstanding hustle with commitment and energy. See, hustle is urgency for sake of urgency at the expense of everything, including breaking rules and social values.
Going without consensus is also one way companies (esp. small ones) implode or do unethical and illegal things.
What is more, this hustling approach discounts brand perception and PR. We see the effects. You may be fast, but if you damage your brand badly enough in the process you might have as well not have done anything.
Unfortunately, we don't get to choose whether or not a word has a negative connotation. "Hustle" suggests duplicity, using people and gaming the system for selfish benefit.
I don't think the little league baseball coach encouraging his team to "let's hustle out there guys!" is being duplicitous. It's a shame the word has multiple meanings and that the one with the negative connotation is the one that people always think of.
You have a lot of value judgements here that roughly equate hustling with professionalism and hard work. I am always early to meetings, I walk quickly (it's the New York / New Englander in me), and I will work all night rather than miss a deadline. I also work 40 hours a week as much as possible, and push back against artificial urgency. Am I a 'hustler' by your definition?
I'd say yes, especially if you're doing it even when you don't have to. Hustle is more than just professionalism and hard work--It's about having a "winning" mindset rather than a "succeeding" mindset. I guess it's harder to explain than I initially thought.
Note the above rant doesn't excuse illegal or discriminatory behavior. I'm just addressing the simplistic "hustle = bad" argument.