drink the Kool-Aid

In the dot-com world it refers to how many start-ups require 14-hour workdays, not to mention unpaid on-call weekend duty and 24/7 availability, resulting in a "drink the Kool-Aid" environment.

Historical perspective: This phrase comes from the 1978 cult mass-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. Jim Jones, leader of the group, ordered his followers to drink Kool-Aid laced with potassium cyanide. The phrase "don't drink the Kool-Aid" has come to mean, "Don't trust any group you find to be a little on the kooky side" or, "Whatever they tell you, don't believe it too strongly".