Newsar
Back to News

996 goes West: US AI start-ups adopt China tech’s controversial work schedule to get ahead

South China Morning PostEN 2 min read 100% complete by Lucy QuagginFebruary 20, 2026 at 03:00 PM
996 goes West: US AI start-ups adopt China tech’s controversial work schedule to get ahead
Read Original Article

AI Summary

short article 2 min

Some US AI startups, particularly those founded by Gen Z, are adopting the "996" work schedule (9am-9pm, six days a week) popularized in China. This controversial practice is being embraced to gain a competitive edge in the rapidly growing AI sector. The trend is emerging in tech hubs like Silicon Valley and New York, driven by the belief that long hours are crucial for rapid growth and attracting venture capital. While China has faced criticism and legal challenges related to 996 due to concerns about worker well-being and productivity, these young US companies see it as a necessary strategy to succeed in the AI "gold rush."

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context
New York 40% Pebblebed 50% Silicon Valley 60% San Francisco ×260% TikTok 60% Nicole Levin 60% Alibaba 70% ByteDance 70% United States ×280% China ×590%

Keywords

996 work schedule 100% ai start-ups 90% long work hours 80% china tech 70% silicon valley 60% gen z 50% venture capital 50% hustle culture 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source
South China Morning Post
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
China

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Network visualization showing 51 related topics
View Full Graph
996 work scheduleai start-upslong work hourschina techsilicon valleygen zventure capitalhustle culture
Explore Full Topic Graph

Find Similar Articles

AI-Powered

Discover articles with similar content using semantic similarity analysis.