When we work 80 hours per week - we do it out of interest for the things we are doing. Like another person said, that we work 80 hours feels like working 30 hours. There is nothing we would rather do than be at our office. The energy in an early startup is just one of the most addicting things in the world.
Think of it this way - do you think it'd be healthy for a person to play World of Warcraft for 80 hours a week? What if they were having fun and it felt like they were only playing 30 hours a week? Just because you're building a startup instead of playing WoW doesn't mean it's any less unhealthy.
What I'm suggesting is that working 80 hours per week is by its very nature harmful to you, your coworkers, and the company, regardless of whether it sout of interested for the things you're doing. It leads to scope creep, burnout, and other unhealthy outcomes. Everything should be done in moderation, including (especially?) work. I can foresee a situation where you or somebody on your team will ignore the obvious signs of burnout and power through until its too late.
If you feel like you need to work that much I would suggest you re-evaluate your scope or find more coworkers. Look to other companies who have built fantastic products without sacrificing a good work/life balance (37 Signals comes to mind).
Hi Mark - You're completely right. It's not healthy to do anything for 80 hours + I would hate to sit through 80 hours of WoW :) Too much of anything can become a bad thing, and you're completely right that we need to make sure we don't burn ourselves out.
We, of course, hope that we will not have to work 80 hours every week down forever - but at an early stage we can't help ourselves. The extreme motivation, energy and drive in the team keeps us running.
Well, I wish you luck, but the likelihood that you will become successful before one of you burns out is low. Plan for the long term and establish a sane culture now before it's too late.
