In the USA most software engineers are FLSA-exempt ("computer employee" exemption).
No overtime pay regardless of hours worked.
No legal maximum hours per day/week.
No mandatory rest periods/breaks (federally).
The US approach places the burden on the individual employee to negotiate protections or prove misclassification, while French law places the burden on the employer to comply with strict, state-enforced standards.
The French Labor Code (Code du travail) applies to virtually all employees in France, regardless of sector (private tech company, government agency, non-profit, etc.), unless explicitly exempted. Software engineering is not an exempted profession. Maximum hour limits are absolute. The caps of 44 hours per week, 48 hours average over 12 weeks, and 10/12 hours per day are legal maximums for almost all employees. Tech companies cannot simply ignore them. The requirements for employee consent, strict annual limits (usually max 220 hours/year), premium pay (+25%/+50%), and compensatory rest apply to software engineers just like any other employee.
"Cadre" Status is not an exemption. Many software engineers are classified as Cadres (managers/professionals) but this status does not automatically exempt them from working time rules.
Cadre au forfait jours (Days-Based Framework): This is common for senior engineers/managers. They are exempt from tracking daily/weekly hours but must still have a maximum of 218 work days per year (including weekends, holidays, and RTT days). Their annual workload must not endanger their health. 80-hour weeks would obliterate this rest requirement and pose severe health risks, making it illegal. Employers must monitor their workload and health.
Cadre au forfait heures (Hours-Based Framework) or Non-Cadre: These employees are fully subject to the standard daily/weekly/hourly limits and overtime rules. 80+ hours/week is blatantly illegal.
The tech industry, especially gaming/startups, sometimes tries to import unsustainable "crunch" cultures. This is illegal in France.
EDIT: Fixed work days
Some State services, such as the "Trésor", which oversees French economic policies, do not respect this at all, and require 12h work days most of the year. The churn is enormous, workers staying there less than a year on average.
I think there is theory and there is real life. As tech worker, in 20 years career, in private sector, I have always been on forfait jours, working more than 10h/day on average, during many years weekend included. I never got paid extra hours. So I get what you say about the perception and the law. The French law is protective (i.e if I can prove that in a court I'll get my extra hours paid for sure but my career would end. Period.
>I'll get my extra hours paid for sure but my career would end.
Are you working in an area that is that specific ? I'm French but I'm naive.
> 218 rest days per year (including weekends, holidays, and RTT days)
Wouldn’t that be nice, 218 rest days? It’s 218 working days.