Certain workers could be asked to work '996' schedule as US startups adopt controversial strategy
The ol' 9 to 5 might still be a thing for some of you, but many have long left that schedule behind.
Whether it's shift work, flexible working, or working from home, it's no longer a case of being chained to your desk from 9 am, taking an hour for lunch, and being out the door at 5 pm.
It comes with its pros and cons, but as some companies have adopted a four-day working week, others are moving toward the controversial '996' schedule. Despite some already complaining about productivity while working from home, there are already plenty of innovations, like the potential to work while you sleep.
China has caused a stir with 996, and as reported by Wired, several Silicon Valley startups are taking on similar practices.
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For those who don't know, 996 involves working 9 am to 9 pm...six days a week.
Almost doubling the average 9 to 5 working week to 72 hours might have you handing in your resignation there and then, so it's no surprise that China faced a massive backlash through protests and claims that 996 is 'modern slavery'. Worse than this, some have linked it to a spate of worker deaths, with a 25-year-old content auditor for video platform Bilibili dying and leading to #996 trending on Weibo.
There has been vocal support from businesses about enforcing 996, especially after Reuters reported on Alibaba founder Jack Ma claiming the gruelling regime is a 'blessing' for workers. Causing public outcry in 2019, the Chinese billionaire said: "I personally think that being able to work 996 is a huge blessing. Many companies and many people don't have the opportunity to work 996.
"If you don't work 996 when you are young, when can you ever work 996?"
After Elon Musk said his DOGE staffers were working ridiculous hours, is it any surprise he's also called for people to work longer? Similarly, there have been reports that Jeff Bezos' Amazon has previously insisted on ‘Mandatory Extra Time’ (MET), where some employees are expected to work five 11-hour shifts instead of their usual four 10-hour shifts.
Speaking to Wired, entrepreneur Adrian Kinnersley says he's surprised how many US startups are starting to follow in China's footsteps: "It's becoming increasingly common. We have multiple clients where a prerequisite for screening candidates before they go for an interview is whether they are prepared to work 996."
According to Will Gao, head of growth at an AI startup called Rilla, nearly all of the company's 80-strong workforce is part of the 996 culture: "There's a really strong and growing subculture of people, especially in my generation—Gen Z—who grew up listening to stories of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, entrepreneurs who dedicated their lives to building life-changing companies.
“Kobe Bryant dedicated all his waking hours to basketball, and I don’t think there’s a lot of people saying that Kobe Bryant shouldn’t have worked as hard as he did."
would you do a 72-hour work week
— WIRED (@WIRED) July 23, 2025
bc silicon valley AI startups are embracing China’s controversial ‘996’ work schedule. read here:https://t.co/OObM9JhQ6E
Others agree that the expectations of 996 might be too high for some, potentially offering incentives to entice people in. As the founder of San Francisco–based telehealth company Fella & Delilah, Ritchie Cartwright posted on LinkedIn about how he was offering a 25% pay increase and 100% equity increase to those who were willing to try 996. Ultimately, only 10% of staff signed up for it.
If that wasn't bad enough, UK-based venture capitalist Harry Stebbings says that China is going one step further: "The truth is, China’s really doing ‘007’ now—midnight to midnight, seven days a week, and they just have a rotational workforce.
"If you want to build a $100 million company, you can do it on five days a week. But if you want to build a $10 billion company, you have to work seven days a week."
It looks like more people than ever are going to start putting those resignation emails in their drafts.