Inside China Tech: Analysing what’s behind the 996 GitHub protest in China

This week, tech reporters Zen Soo and Zheping Huang chat with Digitally China podcast co-host Tom Xiong about the gruelling 996 (9am-9pm, 6 days a week) work schedules of Chinese tech companies.

Developers say the schedule is inhumane and that employees are overworked. Tech billionaires have defended the schedule, saying that hard work is needed to achieve success. Outside of China, South Korea and Japan are also known for their long work hours, while European countries such as Sweden, France and Germany boast some of the world's shortest working weeks and reported high levels of productivity. Are long hours equal to productivity - and more importantly does that come at the expense of stifling innovation?

This week we dive into why Chinese tech workers are outraged at the 996 schedule today and explore whether or not companies and managers are at odds with a new generation of workers - and explore if the recent movement against 996 suggests that China tech companies could be at the crossroads of a new cultural change.

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