A tech sector job used to be a dream ticket, but now it may be a fast-track to stress and substance abuse, according to a survey of 500 tech leaders.
Why it matters: High salaries, stock options and office perks at tech companies are starting to take a back seat to job loss fears, long hours and other stresses.
What's happening: The survey of tech executives at companies with 1,000 or more employees was conducted by pollster Censuswise for All Points North, a luxury health care provider.
Top findings include:
- 4 in 5 tech execs are taking medications ("controlled substances"), and among that cohort 1 in 2 use them "every day or nearly every day."
- 3 in 4 say that recent layoffs, and the future risk of AI replacing their roles, have negatively affected their health.
- 1 in 2 self-reported as qualifying as heavy drinkers (3-7 drinks per day).
- 1 in 3 used controlled substances such as amphetamines and sleeping pills specifically to cope with work stress and long hours.
Yes, but: Some of Silicon Valley's wealthiest founders and investors are increasingly open about their drug use from ketamine to magic mushrooms, Wall Street Journal reported this week.
- Psychedelics advocates say their choices aren't about stress, but about extending creativity and dissolving mind and body boundaries.
