Chinese tech employees have pushed back against a wave of protest over the industry’s notoriously long hours, known as the “996” schedule of working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week. For months, former and current employees of some of the country’s most well-known companies had been posting evidence of unpaid, often compulsory or heavily encouraged overtime on the code-sharing platform Github.
Over the last few weeks, that discussion spread across Chinese social media, prompting outcry and a broader debate about work culture in China. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, one of the companies included in a black list of firms forcing overtime on employees, has defended Alibaba’s long hours in comments. He called the 996 schedule “a huge blessing” and said workers should consider it an honour rather than a burden.
Over the last few weeks, that discussion spread across Chinese social media, prompting outcry and a broader debate about work culture in China. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, one of the companies included in a black list of firms forcing overtime on employees, has defended Alibaba’s long hours in comments. He called the 996 schedule “a huge blessing” and said workers should consider it an honour rather than a burden.
