Essay warns senior engineers into a self-imposed 'death spiral' of overwork

An engineering leader recounts advising a friend who took a demanding new senior role and felt pressure to prove himself by working 60-80 hour weeks. He describes a recurring pattern he calls the 'senior engineer death spiral,' where engineers overcommit to ambitious projects, go silent for weeks, give vague positive updates, and quietly fall behind while trying to compensate by working even harder in secret.