The Hidden 996: How American Tech Companies Copied China’s Playbook Without Admitting It

Silicon Valley loves to position itself as the antithesis of China’s tech industry. While Chinese companies openly embraced the controversial 996 work culture (9am to 9pm, six days a week), American tech giants marketed themselves as bastions of work-life balance. They offered unlimited PTO, meditation rooms, and four-day workweek experiments.

But something happened between the press releases and reality.

The same brutal work schedule that China officially banned in 2021 has quietly taken root in American tech companies. They just don’t call it 996. Instead, they’ve repackaged it as “hustle culture,” “extreme hardcore” work environments, and “doing whatever it takes to ship.” The hours are the same. The burnout is identical. But the branding is different.

Recent reporting reveals that Silicon Valley startups are explicitly asking job candidates about their willingness to work 70+ hour weeks. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt publicly praised China’s 996 culture while lamenting American workers’ focus on work-life balance. And tech workers across the industry report working far beyond their contracted hours while watching their “unlimited” PTO go unused.

The gap between what tech companies say and what they demand has never been wider. By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how to spot hidden 996 expectations, understand the economic forces driving this shift, and protect yourself from companies that promise flexibility but deliver exhaustion.

The 996 Origin Story: From Beijing to Silicon Valley

The 996 work culture originated in China’s tech boom of the 2010s, when companies like Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance pushed employees to work 12-hour days, six days a week. That’s 72 hours weekly, far exceeding China’s legal limit of 44 hours.

The schedule became so prevalent that it earned its own GitHub protest. In 2019, Chinese tech workers created the “996.ICU” repository, warning that working 996 hours would land you in the ICU. The protest went viral, forcing China’s Supreme Court to explicitly rule the practice illegal in August 2021.

But here’s where the story takes a turn.

When Failure Became a Feature

While Chinese regulators cracked down, American venture capitalists looked on with envy. In 2016, Sequoia Capital’s Mike Moritz wrote an op-ed in the Financial Times praising China’s work ethic, noting that Chinese executives regularly held “working dinners followed by two or three meetings” and that many “only see their children for a few minutes a day.”

His message was clear: American tech companies needed to work harder to compete.

That sentiment has only intensified. In October 2024, Eric Schmidt told a podcast audience: “Remember, we’re up against the Chinese. The Chinese work-life balance consists of 996. By the way, the Chinese have clarified that this is illegal. However, they all do it.”

The implication? American workers should too.

The Unlimited PTO Trap: How “Flexibility” Became a Weapon

One of Silicon Valley’s favorite recruiting tools is unlimited paid time off. It sounds progressive. Trust-based. Adult.

The reality tells a different story.

The Usage Paradox

Research consistently shows that employees with unlimited PTO take fewer days off than those with traditional vacation policies. A widely-cited study by HR company Namely found that unlimited PTO users averaged just 13 days per year, compared to 15 days for employees with accrued vacation time.

That’s 15% less time off when given “unlimited” options.

Why? Because unlimited PTO removes the psychological safety of a defined allocation. With traditional PTO, you know you’ve earned 15 days and you’re leaving money on the table if you don’t use them. With unlimited PTO, every day off becomes a negotiation with unspoken expectations.

The policy says “take what you need.” The culture says “don’t be the person who takes too much.”

The Corporate Calculation

Here’s what makes unlimited PTO financially attractive to employers: they don’t have to pay out unused vacation when you leave. In states requiring payout of accrued vacation, this saves companies substantial money.

It’s brilliant cost accounting disguised as progressive benefits.

A 2024 survey found that workload was the most commonly cited reason employees failed to use unlimited PTO. When you’re competing against colleagues who never seem to take breaks, when your projects have aggressive deadlines, when your next promotion depends on shipping features, that “unlimited” vacation becomes effectively untouchable.

Interview Guys Tip: During interviews, ask specifically how much PTO the team typically uses, not just what the policy allows. If the interviewer can’t give you a straight answer or says “it varies,” that’s a red flag that unlimited PTO is really unlimited work.

The Layoff Leverage: How Job Insecurity Enabled 996

The shift to 996-style expectations didn’t happen in a vacuum. It required a specific economic moment where workers lost bargaining power.

That moment arrived with the tech layoffs of 2022-2024.

The Numbers Behind the Power Shift

Between 2022 and 2024, tech companies eliminated over 500,000 positions. Google cut 12,000 workers. Meta shed 21,000. Amazon eliminated 27,000. In 2025 alone, over 180,000 tech workers lost their jobs across 400+ companies.

The market flipped overnight. Suddenly, employees weren’t choosing between multiple offers. They were grateful to have jobs at all.

This is when 996 started appearing in job descriptions.

Startups began explicitly stating 70+ hour workweek expectations in job postings. Recruiters started screening candidates on their willingness to work extended hours. Companies that previously emphasized work-life balance quietly changed their messaging to “extremely hardcore” work environments.

The language shifted from “we value your time” to “we’re building something special and it requires sacrifice.”

The Contractor Trap

One particularly insidious version of hidden 996 culture affects tech contractors. A KQED investigation found that contract workers at companies like Google were working unpaid overtime, hoping it would help them convert to full-time positions.

One contractor reported: “I’ve found myself working secretly after hours, trying to avoid my manager if they’re around.” He wasn’t supposed to work overtime. He wasn’t being paid for it. But he felt that matching full-time employees’ hours (which regularly exceeded 40 per week) was necessary to be considered for permanent positions.

This creates a two-tier system: Full-time employees work extreme hours. Contractors work even more extreme hours for less money and no benefits, hoping to join the first group.

The Rebranding Game: 996 By Another Name

American companies rarely use the term “996.” They’ve developed a whole vocabulary to describe the same expectations without the negative connotations.

The Euphemism Dictionary

Here’s how companies signal 996 culture without admitting it:

• “Fast-paced environment” – Translation: Expect to work evenings and weekends regularly

• “We work hard, play hard” – Translation: Long hours are offset by occasional happy hours

• “Extremely hardcore” – Translation: Elon Musk’s explicit demand for X (Twitter) employees to commit to brutal work hours

• “Rockstar/ninja/wizard needed” – Translation: We want someone who will sacrifice work-life balance

• “Startup mentality” – Translation: Even though we’re a Fortune 500 company, we expect startup hours

• “We’re a family” – Translation: Families don’t clock out at 5pm

The New York Times reported that some Silicon Valley employers are now directly asking prospective employees if they’re open to 72-hour workweeks. That’s 996, just stated in different terms.

The Metrics That Don’t Lie

While companies carefully craft their external messaging, internal metrics tell the real story. A 2024 study found that nearly 72% of Silicon Valley tech workers report poor work-life balance. The same workers experiencing “unlimited PTO” and “flexible schedules.”

Depression and anxiety rates among Silicon Valley professionals are nearly double the national average. One in three tech workers reports burnout symptoms.

These aren’t the statistics of an industry that’s successfully balanced innovation with wellness.

Interview Guys Tip: During your interview process, ask to speak with current employees (not just HR) about their typical workweek. Pay attention to email timestamps on any communications you receive. If recruiters are sending emails at 10pm or on weekends, that’s the actual culture.

The Tesla Blueprint: 996 as Corporate Identity

No discussion of American 996 culture is complete without examining Tesla.

Elon Musk doesn’t hide his expectations. He’s claimed to work 120-hour weeks and expects senior staff to match his intensity. Anonymous reports from Tesla employees describe workers sleeping on factory floors after 12-hour shifts. Some reported fainting from fatigue.

This isn’t presented as a problem. It’s presented as dedication.

When Musk took over Twitter (now X), he gave employees an ultimatum: commit to being “extremely hardcore” with long hours at high intensity, or take severance. The message was clear: 996-style work wasn’t a temporary crisis response. It was the culture.

What makes Tesla’s approach influential is that it’s celebrated in certain circles. Musk’s work ethic is held up as aspirational. Other founders point to his companies’ market valuations as proof that brutal hours produce results.

The reality is more complex. High turnover from burnout costs companies enormously. Exhausted employees make more mistakes. The short-term productivity gains from extreme hours often disappear within months as performance degrades.

But the narrative persists: if you want to build something world-changing, you need to sacrifice everything.

The AI Arms Race: Why 996 Is Getting Worse

The emergence of artificial intelligence as a competitive frontier has intensified pressure for extreme work hours.

The China Comparison

AI startups operate on razor-thin budgets with small teams. In this environment, leaders look at Chinese competitors who’ve built massive AI capabilities and conclude that American workers need to match those hours to compete.

It’s a flawed comparison. Chinese tech companies faced massive regulatory crackdowns precisely because 996 culture led to worker deaths and widespread burnout. But the competitive pressure remains intense.

A recent report noted that approximately 60% of 2025 tech layoffs came from startups, with many explicitly citing AI-driven restructuring. As teams shrink, the remaining workers absorb the workload. A company that laid off 30% of its staff doesn’t reduce its ambitions by 30%. They expect the survivors to work harder.

The Irony of Automation

Here’s what’s darkly funny about AI enabling 996 culture: artificial intelligence is supposed to make us more productive, not less rested.

The promise was that AI tools would automate routine tasks, freeing humans for creative work and reasonable hours. Instead, companies are using AI as a reason to reduce headcount while maintaining the same output expectations.

Workers are expected to accomplish more with AI assistance while working the same extreme hours. The productivity gains go to shareholders, not to employee wellbeing.

How to Spot Hidden 996 Culture in Job Interviews

You need practical tools to identify 996 expectations before you accept an offer. Here are the specific questions and red flags to watch for.

Questions That Reveal the Truth

Ask about typical hours: “What does a typical week look like for someone in this role?” Pay attention if they dodge or give vague answers.

Ask about response expectations: “What’s the expectation for responding to messages outside of work hours?” Companies with healthy boundaries will have clear answers.

Ask about PTO usage: “How much PTO do people in this department typically use?” If they can’t give you specific numbers, it’s a red flag.

Ask about last-minute requests: “How often are there urgent requests that require evening or weekend work?” This reveals whether “emergencies” are actually the norm.

Ask about promotion criteria: “What are the factors that determine promotions here?” If “going above and beyond” or “dedication” feature prominently without defining them, expect those terms to mean long hours.

Red Flags in Job Descriptions

Beyond the euphemisms mentioned earlier, watch for:

• Multiple mentions of “fast-paced” or “dynamic”
• Emphasis on “passion” or “dedication” over skills
• Requirements listed as “nice to have” that would actually require 60+ hours to learn
• Salary ranges that seem high for the listed responsibilities (you’re being paid for the extra hours)
• Job postings that remain open for months (high turnover from burnout)

Interview Guys Tip: Check Glassdoor reviews specifically for mentions of work-life balance, hours, and burnout. Sort by “most recent” to see if culture has changed. Look for patterns in what former employees cite as reasons for leaving.

The Real Cost of Hidden 996 Culture

The human cost of extreme work hours is well-documented and severe.

Health Consequences

Research on China’s 996 culture found that more than three-quarters of urban workers in major cities suffer from work-related fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, sleep disorders, and work-family imbalance. There’s no reason to believe American workers are immune to these effects.

The American Psychological Association has found that chronic work stress contributes to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.

Working 55+ hours per week increases stroke risk by 35% and heart disease risk by 17%, according to the World Health Organization.

Career Consequences

Ironically, extreme work hours often damage the careers they’re meant to advance. Burned-out workers are more likely to:

• Make costly mistakes from fatigue
• Miss subtle cues in communication
• Struggle with creative problem-solving
• Experience health issues that force career breaks
• Leave industries entirely (as documented in our article on career change trends)

The tech industry’s turnover problem is well-documented. Many workers are leaving tech entirely for industries with more sustainable expectations.

Organizational Consequences

Companies don’t escape unscathed either. High turnover costs are estimated at 1.5-2x an employee’s annual salary when accounting for recruiting, training, and lost productivity.

Knowledge walks out the door when experienced workers burn out and quit. Teams lose institutional memory. Customer relationships suffer when the person who built them leaves.

Yet many companies continue to optimize for short-term output over long-term sustainability.

The Alternative: What Actually Works

Not every tech company has embraced hidden 996 culture. Some have actively rejected it and remain competitive.

The Four-Day Workweek Movement

Companies experimenting with four-day workweeks have found that productivity often increases when hours decrease. The key is that these are true 32-hour weeks, not compressed 40-hour schedules.

Employees report significantly better work-life balance. Companies see improved retention and easier recruiting. Customers don’t notice a difference in service quality.

The model proves that extreme hours aren’t actually necessary for innovation or growth.

Companies That Set Boundaries

Basecamp, the project management software company, has long advocated for 40-hour workweeks and generous PTO. They’ve grown steadily without requiring sacrifice.

Some companies implement “no meeting Wednesdays” or core collaboration hours (10am-3pm only). Others have “no Slack after 6pm” policies that are actually enforced.

The difference is that these companies treat work-life balance as a competitive advantage, not a cost to be minimized. They recruit by emphasizing sustainable hours, knowing this attracts talented workers who’ve burned out elsewhere.

The Evidence-Based Approach

Research consistently shows that productivity isn’t linear with hours worked. After about 50 hours per week, output per hour declines sharply. By hour 60, you’re producing less per hour than you did in hour 40.

Companies that embrace this research structure work accordingly. They know that asking for a 72-hour week is asking someone to be less effective than they would be in 45 hours.

What This Means for Your Job Search

Understanding hidden 996 culture changes how you should approach job hunting in tech.

Negotiate for Protection

Don’t just negotiate salary. Negotiate work expectations. Ask for specific language in your offer letter about:

• Standard working hours
• On-call rotation frequency
• Response time expectations for non-urgent communications
• Minimum PTO usage requirements (some companies now mandate minimum vacation days)

Get these commitments in writing. Verbal assurances during recruiting often disappear once you’re hired.

Build Your Walk-Away Power

The best protection against 996 culture is the ability to leave. That means:

• Maintaining an updated resume and LinkedIn profile
• Continuing to network even when employed
• Keeping your skills current (particularly in high-demand areas)
• Building an emergency fund that gives you runway if you need to quit

When you have options, you have leverage to push back on unreasonable demands.

Trust Your Instincts

If something feels off during the interview process, listen to that instinct. If the hiring manager seems exhausted, if people respond to your emails at odd hours, if everyone talks about how hard they work, these are signals.

You’re not imagining things. You’re seeing the actual culture.

The Future of Work Hours in Tech

The tension between 996 culture and work-life balance is unlikely to resolve quickly.

Economic pressure will continue driving some companies toward extreme hours. The AI arms race isn’t slowing down. Venture capital remains focused on rapid growth over sustainable operations.

But there are countervailing forces. Remote work has normalized flexibility for many workers. Younger generations increasingly prioritize work-life balance over pure compensation. The mental health crisis in tech is becoming impossible to ignore.

The companies that figure out how to innovate without burning out their workers will have a significant recruiting advantage. The ones that don’t will face constant turnover and the mounting costs that come with it.

Conclusion

American tech companies haven’t officially adopted 996 culture. They’ve just recreated it under different names, with better branding and more euphemisms.

The 72-hour workweeks are the same whether you call them “996” or “extremely hardcore” or “what it takes to win.” The burnout feels identical. The health consequences don’t care about your company’s mission statement.

The difference is that in China, 996 culture is explicitly illegal. In America, it’s often sold as a privilege.

You deserve to know what you’re signing up for. When companies talk about unlimited PTO, ask about actual usage. When they emphasize their mission, ask about their hours. When they promise flexibility, get specifics about expectations.

The next generation of tech innovation doesn’t have to be built on exhaustion. But it will be, unless workers demand better and companies that offer sustainable cultures are rewarded with talent.

Your career is a marathon, not a sprint. Choose employers who understand that.

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