Yeah, enough people say this that I avoid taking creatine knowing I have the genetic predisposition for male pattern baldness, despite the lack of solid evidence.
Although OP's post says "There is no mechanistic reason to think that would happen." but I don't think that's true. Creatine is known to increase DHT, and higher levels of DHT is linked to hair loss.
It's very common for people to switch networks many times a day anyway so it's not obviously a VPN user - even when switching countries to some extent.
I initially dropped to 4 days/week in lieu of a payrise (comp remained the same). Did that for a while and since then I've been working 2-4 days/week (3 right now)
It helped that it was a small company and I had been working there for 5+ years, not sure how I'd go about finding a part time software job otherwise. Everything is negotiable though.
Maybe look into a Whoop device. Their business model is unique in the space as it's a subscription, but the tracker itself is solid, has no screen and can be worn a number of ways if you don't want it on your wrist.
> You've got to have at least some amount of drive beyond "clock in at 9 and leave at 5 sharp to collect a paycheck" to get into these top tech companies.
I can't say how true this is or not, but I know there are plenty that _want_ to get in exactly so they can clock in & out without doing much
Although OP's post says "There is no mechanistic reason to think that would happen." but I don't think that's true. Creatine is known to increase DHT, and higher levels of DHT is linked to hair loss.