Silicon Valley AI Startups Are Embracing China's Controversial '996' Work Schedule

Would you like to work nearly double the standard 40-hour week? It's a question that many startups in the US are asking prospective employees--and to get the job, the answer needs to be an unequivocal yes. These companies are embracing an intense schedule, first popularized in mainland China, known as "996," or 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. The 996 phenomenon in China gave rise to major protests and accusations of "modern slavery," with critics blaming the schedule for a spate of worker deaths. Despite the negative connotations overseas, US firms, many of them working on artificial intelligence, are adopting both the schedule and its nickname as they race to compete against each other--and with China.