When you have a family and lots of outside obligations, you lose the ability to take risk and gain large rewards in favor of increased stability. It's not a matter of one being better than the other. These people work extremely hard and contribute in ways that they find meaningful. Nobody should be criticized for being dedicated.
How is working for Google, one of the world's most profitable companies, taking a risk?
I'm not averse to risk but I am skeptical that everyone working late at Google is doing so because they're having so much fun as "rock star" engineers that they can't wait to get back to work.
When you have a family that you love and enjoy you already have the large reward. Work you enjoy is icing on top of that. The reason you may seek less risk with family is that the upside is relatively small (it will always be dwarfed by family), and the downside is large (losing your home, putting financial stress on your family, etc..).
But I agree, they shouldn't be criticized for being dedicated to their job. But I do think posts, like Don's, seem to implicitly criticize those people who aren't at the cafeteria at 8pm.
Ken, There is NO implicit criticism of people who don't work nights, and none was intended. Sorry if you came away with that impression.
Google is all about achievement...not which hours you choose to work. The fact is that most employees do not stay for dinner. Google people have different work schedules. Some come in early, some stay late, some work 9 to 5 at the office, and get back online at night after the kids go to bed. Some people work from home. There is no pressure to conform to some schedule.
Google is like a college campus. There are people everywhere, all working different schedules. There is always someone around so you never feel alone.
