What Is the 996 Work Schedule and Why Has Silicon Valley Embraced Being Overworked?

While some employees are working remotely during normal hours, and as some government employees are experiencing joblessness due to the government shutdown, it appears that tech bros are working most people in their industry past their collective breaking points in Silicon Valley and other tech hubs.

It's called the 996 work schedule, and it's reached various regions of the globe. If you haven't yet learned about the torturous 996 work schedule, prepare to be dismayed.

Fueled by ill-gotten ADHD medication and the toxic hustle culture that has become so disgustingly ubiquitous around far too many places around the world, the 996 work schedule is infecting workers who foolishly believe that if they work endless hours, their bosses will somehow reward their dedication.

Let's explore the 996 work schedule, its origins, and why so many people are talking about this unique schedule that has taken some parts of the world by storm.

According to The New York Times, grinding through the 996 schedule refers to employees who work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week. As if that didn't immediately raise several red flags for you, perhaps this will: According to NPR, the 996 schedule, which originated in China, was eventually ruled by the country's Supreme People's Court in 2021 to be illegal.

"In recent years, several worker deaths have been linked to such schedules, which are common in the tech industry and in other sectors, such as logistics," according to the NPR report.

The Internet is littered with heartbreaking stories of employees in China who regularly worked 300 hours or more in a single month, and eventually worked themselves to actual death.

Perhaps hustle culture and grinding through long hours have always been part of Silicon Valley, but with the ubiquity of AI, The Washington Post reports that tech companies in New York and Silicon Valley have wholeheartedly embraced the 996 work schedule and only hire employees willing to meet or surpass those expected hours.

"Magnus Müller works around the clock, including Saturdays and Sundays. Sometimes that might mean starting at 7 a.m. until he goes to sleep at midnight or 1 a.m.," according to The Washington Post. "He wants the start-up to hire people 'addicted' to work."

Indeed, Silicon Valley leaders are in a veritable arms race for AI supremacy, and that means "promoting hardcore culture as a way of life, pushing the limits of work hours," and maintaining "grind scores" to hold workers accountable.

"There is no job on earth that I would work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, when I know advancements in tech mean we should be working half that. There is more to life," writes one TikTok user.

It's hard not to wonder why — as AI becomes more advanced and its applications become even more varied in the real world — are we somehow working even longer, with fewer breaks, and with much less compassion and humanity, when it should be the other way around.