70-hour workweeks spread from China to Silicon Valley

Alibaba founder Jack Ma praised the 72-hour workweek known as 996, running from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, as a “blessing” for China’s economy in April 2019. The remark drew criticism as “modern-day slavery.” China’s authorities, promoting a “common prosperity” policy, banned the practice by law in 2021.

What appeared to have vanished in China is now emerging in the United States. Reports from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun show that major Silicon Valley startups, along with financial and law firms in New York, increasingly expect employees to work more than 70 hours per week.

In Silicon Valley, where companies compete with China for artificial intelligence supremacy, many firms require six-day workweeks exceeding 70 hours. Facing competition from China’s cost-efficient generative AI DeepSeek, U.S. tech companies are prioritizing survival over work-life balance.

Some startups even require seven-day workweeks. San Francisco-based AI startup Sonatic lists in job postings that employees must work on-site all week, offering housing, food delivery, and free dating app subscriptions in return. Another AI startup, Lila, reportedly has all 80 employees on a 996 schedule.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt defended the practice on the podcast “All In,” noting that although China’s 996 workweek is technically illegal, employees still follow it and that China remains the main competitor. Google co-founder Sergey Brin added that a 60-hour workweek is optimal for productivity.

Not all workers should be expected to work 72 hours a week, nor should they be. At the same time, the drive of those willing to work harder to achieve superior results should not be stifled by institutional rules.

The IMF recently reported Taiwan’s per capita GDP at $85,127, adjusted for purchasing power, more than $20,000 higher than South Korea’s. South Korea’s nominal per capita GDP is expected to fall behind Taiwan’s this year for the first time in 22 years.

Amid South Korea’s slowing growth, talks in the financial sector about a 4.5-day workweek have raised concern. Critics say industries earning billions annually from interest without global competition could undermine national competitiveness.

Michelin three-star chef An Sung-jae warned that maintaining today’s work-life balance could eliminate it in the future. He added that expecting greater rewards while working less than others is unrealistic.