Oh, I remember back in the day, back in the 1980s when the computer industry was on fire. Things were exciting. People were boasting about working 90-hour weeks, exhausted but elated. They were loving it. Then came time to pay the bill.

Legend has it that in 1983 the Macintosh team proudly wore sweatshirts labeled, “90 hours a week and loving it.”

According to this article, most of them team were in their 20s and early 30s, meaning that they had few obligations outside of work. Youth, energy, and intelligence combined with drive created some wonderful technology back in the day.

And it still does today: Startups appear all the time. The high tech industry remains fertile ground for young, enthusiastic, intelligent people to ply their wares. Yet since the early 1980s, the issue remains: For how long?

I remember being a part of that craze as well. I never joined a high tech company, but I had a chance.

Back in 1986, I was working at a computer book publishing house. (And, no, I didn’t consider it “high tech.”) Microsoft came to visit. They wanted to start up their own publishing house, what eventually would become Microsoft Press. I had an opportunity to join them, to be in on the ground floor, but I declined. The thought of moving to a big city and not knowing anyone didn’t sit well with me.

Anyway . . .

The only taste I got of that high energy rush was working at the local computer magazine in the late 1980s. The magazine was growing by leaps and bounds: When I first started as Editor, a typical issue had 40 pages. Several months later we were up to 120 pages, which was the maximum size the printing press could handle. It was an insane, enjoyable time.

The problem with such explosive growth and energy is the same today as it was back when: Burnout. You just can’t work people 80 hours a week — no matter how much fun it is — and retain that same level of interest.

“The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.” – Lao Tzu

Even today, I’ve work with some highly energetic, dedicated people. Aware of the past, I caution them on burning out. I can handle working all week, and I usually do, but only in moderation. Some of these “kids” I work with are in serious danger of waking up one morning and saying, “To hell with his.” It happens.

The proof is simple that the crowd who was there in the beginning has generally vanished after a few years. They start the fire and get things going, but then they’re replaced by people who serve more of a caretaking role than a startup role.

I’d love to be a part of something wild and growing again, simply to re-live the memories of those times. Yet I’m fully aware of the burnout.