- Some silicon valley startups are adopting China’s “996” work culture, which is prohibited in that country, hoping employees work 12 hours a day, six days a week, looking for hyperproductivity and global AI dominance. The trend has generated debates in the US and Europe, with some technology leaders supporting the pace, while others warn of the risk of mass exhaustion and startup failure.
The rapid work culture of silicon valley startups is starting to look more and more with the forbidden work model in China.
According to a report from WiredStartups of Bay Area, the São Francisco Bay area, are increasingly adopting models similar to China’s “996” work culture, where employees are expected to work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, totaling 72 hours per week.
Startups, especially in the AI industry, are openly asking new contractors to accept these long working hours. For example, Ia Rilla’s startup reports in its candidates that they should not even apply unless they are excited to “work about 70 hours a week in person with some of the most ambitious people in New York.”
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The company’s growth chief, Will Gao, told the Wired That there is a growing Z generation subculture “that grew up listening to stories of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, entrepreneurs who dedicated their lives to building companies that have changed the world.” He stated that almost the entire 80 people team from Rilla works in the 996 model.
The increase of this controversial work culture seems to have been born of the current pressure for efficiency in Silicon Valley. Rounds of mass layoffs and AI advancement have been pressuring and increasing the collection of technology employees who have managed to maintain their jobs.
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For example, in February, Google co -founder Sergey Brin told employees that they work on the Gemini project that he recommended being in the office at least every day of the week and said that 60 hours per week is the “ideal point” for productivity.
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Other technology ceos, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, emphasized that workers’ productivity is a priority, even if it means extra hours or extra working days. In November 2022, Musk infamously told remaining X employees, then Twitter, who should commit to a new and extremely hardcore culture or leave the company with compensation payment.
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Part of the justification for intense work hours is the desire to compete with China amid a global race for AI. Especially after Chinese startup Deepseek launched a model of AI comparable to some of the best offers in the US, shaking the main AI laboratories.
China forbade 996
In fact, China has been trying to repress 996 culture internally. In 2021, the highest court in China, the Supreme Popular Court, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security jointly stated that the labor culture “996” was illegal. At the time, the measure was part of the broadest campaign of the Chinese Communist Party to reduce inequality in Chinese society and limit the power of the largest technology companies in the country.
But the practice has already spread to other countries. Early this summer, the European technology sector was also involved in a heated debate about work culture.
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Partially exacerbated by an ongoing debate on Europe’s and AI’s competitiveness, some European risk investors have warned that more work and longer hours may be necessary to compete effectively.
Harry Stebbings, founder of the 20VC Fund, said at Linkedin in June that the Silicon Valley “increased the intensity” and that the European founders needed to pay attention.
“[Sete] Days a week is the speed necessary to win now. There is no room for failures, ”said Stebbings in the publication.“ You are not competing against any company in Germany, etc., but against the best in the world. ”
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Some other founders commented, criticizing the increase in work culture 996 and warning that this can quickly lead to a culture of exhaustion. Among them was Ivee Miller, partner of Balderton Capital.
“Exhaustion [é] One of the three main reasons why startups in early stage fail. It’s literally a bad reason to invest, ”Miller said on LinkedIn.
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