996 goes West: US AI start-ups adopt China tech’s controversial work schedule to get ahead
996 goes West: US AI start-ups adopt China tech’s controversial work schedule to get ahead
China’s extreme 996 work schedule meets US tech’s hustle culture
Why advocates believe 996, the controversial 9am to 9pm, six-day-a-week culture popularised in China, can give American firms decisive edge.
They are young, intensely competitive, and unapologetic about 80-hour work weeks. Welcome to the United States’ new generation of tech founders. Gen Z’s start-up class is reframing “millennial hustle culture” by shifting from side gigs and personal branding to a more rigid office grind, while looking to China for inspiration. It’s for this reason that US artificial intelligence start-ups are openly embracing 996, the controversial 9am to 9pm, six-day-a-week schedule popularised by Chinese tech...