You need bargaining power

If core competitiveness is always defined by how much overtime you put in, you're forced into a race against others on working hours.

If it's always about cost, that's even more frustrating—you might end up competing with GPT just to see who can charge less.

Only when competitors aren't playing on the same dimension can you break out of this cycle.

Not everyone is gifted, well-capitalized, or connected. Many people spend their whole lives with nothing to offer but overtime and low prices, leaving them no choice but to compete on those terms.