This work trend could lead to an early death. Some people swear by it

Our work culture moves in waves, with different countries, industries, businesses and governments all affecting the motion. For the past few years, the tide has predominantly been moving in one direction with a greater understanding that we need more balance in our lives.

But this is not the case everywhere. In the late 2010s, a new work culture emerged in China that was unrelenting and unforgiving. “996” refers to a trend where employees work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week, or more than 72 hours every week.

Companies such as TikTok’s ByteDance and Huawei led the charge, with Alibaba founder Jack Ma even saying he never regretted working 12-hour days. “I, personally, think that 996 is a huge blessing,” he said.

Most pundits assumed this brutal take on working hours would be confined to China, but recently the trend has popped up in an unlikely new location: America.

There have been growing reports from Silicon Valley, in particular from AI companies, that some businesses are explicitly recruiting people to work 70-hour weeks.

Companies are incentivising 996 work schedules with bonuses and equity boosts, and Google’s co-founder Sergey Brin even reportedly told employees that he believed working 60 hours a week represented the “sweet spot” for productivity.

China’s Supreme Court ruled 996 was illegal and a form of exploitation, but that still hasn’t stopped Silicon Valley from flirting with it.

The 996 trend is dangerous and depressing and flies directly in the face of most growing scientific and research consensus that we have on work. Burnout is at an all-time high across most professions, and it’s not confined by international borders.

McKinsey Health Institute found that almost a third of all employees worldwide reported experiencing burnout symptoms sometimes, often or always. Overworking consistently is a one-way ticket to burnout.

It’s also a path to sickness and, in some cases, early death. The World Health Organisation has concluded that long working hours, like those seen in 996 culture, led to more than 745,000 deaths from strokes and ischemic heart disease in 2016 – up almost 30 per cent since 2000.

The same study found that working more than 55 hours a week is associated with a 35 per cent higher risk of a stroke, and almost 20 per cent higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared to people who worked a standard 35 to 40 hours a week.

In 2021, China’s Supreme Court ruled that 996 schedules were illegal and a form of exploitation, but that still hasn’t stopped Silicon Valley from flirting with it as a response to the exploding AI boom (and bubble).

Will we ever see this sad trend take hold in Australia? Thankfully, I doubt it. The tide is moving in the opposite direction here. Strong worker unions, progressive legislation such as the right to disconnect and a deeply ingrained cultural respect for life-work balance act as sturdy barricades against it.

Some companies might be tempted to look at China’s rapid growth, or the exponential rise of American AI companies, and attribute that to a 996 culture. But a closer look shows that any short-term productivity gains are soon erased by the long-term effects on employees.

If Silicon Valley wants to glamorise overwork, then in the words of Mel Robbins’ best-selling book, “let them”. Australia has a chance to be a global leader and show that truly successful companies aren’t ones that look solely at the bottom line, but value people just as much as the profits they can create.

Tim Duggan is author of Work Backwards: The Revolutionary Method to Work Smarter and Live Better. He writes a regular newsletter at timduggan.substack.com

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