"'If you're going to be in tech and you're going to win, you're going to have to make some tradeoffs,' Schmidt said. 'Remember we're up against the Chinese; the Chinese work life balance consists of 996, which is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.' Schmidt added that working from home is especially harmful for young people who may be highly educated but have little or no experience in the workforce."
"China's 996 work schedule was outlawed in 2021, but Schmidt insisted on the podcast that all the Chinese tech companies still do it. This kind of work obsession is making its way to Silicon Valley as well. An increasing number of startups, and especially AI startups, in the Bay Area now expect employees to put in 72 hour weeks, according to Wired. For some young die-hards, the gradual Silicon Valley shift from nap-pods to sleeping in the office is welcome news."
Eric Schmidt warns that widespread remote work is weakening U.S. tech competitiveness with China and undermining on-the-job learning for early-career employees. He contrasts American remote arrangements with China's intense 996 regimen — 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week — and says companies may need to make tradeoffs to win. Schmidt credits face-to-face office presence for vital informal learning experiences he gained at Sun Microsystems. He questions how such spontaneous mentorship and debate can be replicated remotely. He also asserts that, despite being outlawed in 2021, 996-style expectations persist in Chinese tech and are spreading to Bay Area startups, especially in AI.
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