China’s 996 workweek is knocking on America’s door: Is Silicon Valley falling for the 70-hour grind?
There was a time when Silicon Valley served a dream on a platter, not just of a technology to revolutionise the world, but of lives built on flexibility, creativity, and a certain renegade freedom.
Today, in the fluorescent-lit offices of AI startups from Palo Alto to SoMa, the dream is morphed and has become a subject of mockery. 12 hour shifts and six days a week are becoming the new norm of the American job market.
The 21st century opened with the narratives of work-life balance, with beanbags, open offices, and kombucha on tap, it appears the next chapter may be authored in the image of a far more punishing model: China’s 996 work culture, 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week.
Once vilified and outlawed in the country of origin, 996 is now knocking on America’s doors, looking for a new traction in the heart of its tech frontier.
The question isn’t whether this trend exists. It does. The question is: What does its rise say about the future of ambition in America? Will Silicon Valley keep championing the employees who trade their sleep and sanity for the sake of so-called progress?
China’s DeepSeek AI recently stunned Western researchers with models rivalling, even threatening, the dominance of OpenAI and Google DeepMind. Silicon Valley, long accustomed to leading from the front, suddenly feels the heat at its back. The reflex is primal: work harder. Work longer. Outbuild.
Enter the 996 revival. It's no longer just about building great products; it’s about defending America’s place in a global AI arms race.
The race for AI dominance is real. But the deeper race, the one that will shape our culture, our health, our future, is how we define the value of a human hour.
If America is to lead the world in innovation, it must ask itself: Is it enough to work harder than China, or must we work smarter too?
