‘Hustle hard’ reads the bright neon sign of a can of soda, demanding I drink and therefore be the best.

Crammed in the metro, I eavesdrop on a conversation between friends. They’re talking shop and the girl complains about her long hours, saying she’s tired but it’s good, she’s hustling, it will pay off.

Even Elon Musk, in 2018, said you can’t change the world just working on 40 hours a week. Jack Ma’s 9-9-6 mantra, work from 9 to 9, 6 days a week was the talk of town very recently.

Push and work hard, the entire world around us seems to implore.