How “hustle culture” has become status quo in the American workplace

Business Insider senior correspondent Aki Ito explores the historical context behind the hustle and how our sense of purpose and fulfillment has increasingly been tied to what we do at work.

Detroit hustles harder.

It’s a slogan that’s printed on thousands of T-shirts, and it comes from an identity that defines the city — Detroiters work harder and hustle more than anyone else. It’s a point of pride — but is that a good thing? And should our connection to how we make money be so connected to our personal identities?

These are questions that we’ve been pondering for a while, but the pandemic has given them new life.

In her feature “How Hustle Culture Got America Addicted To Work,” Business Insider senior correspondent Aki Ito explores the historical context behind the hustle and how our sense of purpose and fulfillment has increasingly been tied to what we do at work.


Listen: Writer Aki Ito explores America’s addiction to hustle culture.

 

 

Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.

WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.

Donate today »

Author

  • Ryan Patrick Hooper
    Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.