996 Silicon Valley Tech companies have the latest work culture craze, 5-day week can take a hike
It seems that the work culture in silicon Valley Tech companies is changing, operated on a large scale by startups and teams which are uproar. Once, after becoming famous to work comfortably in companies like Google and Microsoft, the city is now hosting the craze of 996, which means working 9 to 9 am and six days a week.
We all know that the AI war is in full swing in Silicon Valley. Companies are putting in billions and going out to make the smartest LLM. While the game is intensifying, the work culture is becoming more intense, even the one who celebrates Hustling every day, every day. Allegedly, startups in Silicon Valley are moving towards their new passion to work hard and change 996 culture. This means working from 9 am to 9 am six days a week. It is 72 hours on the clock, every one week.
The question is: but why? And apparently the answer is that now is the time of Udham.
Many, especially in Silicon Valley, in Startups and AI teams, believe that it is time to achieve quick success and make a lead on others quickly. He feels that AI is a new technology where the winner will now be receiving the future rich awards. And everyone wants to be the winner.
Essentially, as many AI startups work hard to create the best and smart AI models, the old and controversial six-day culture is returning to the offices.
Of course, this 996 culture is not a thing that is basically a silicon valley idea. It was initially popularized by Alibaba’s founder Jack Ma in China, but he was also criticized and culture was considered “modern slavery”. In fact, the Supreme Court of the country illegally returned the practice after public outrage in 2021 and a part of the deaths related to overwork. Nevertheless, in the current AI race, American companies are desperate to defeat their Chinese counterparts, many have started following the controversial models similar to the work.
According to a wired report, many startups are embracing this 966 work culture. Staffing Entrepreneur Adrian Kinkarley told the publication, “It is rapidly common that we have many customers where there is a condition before an interview (candidates) 996 are ready to work.”
And allegedly, this culture is not considered as grinding in Silicon Valley, but as part of the identity of the workplace. According to the report, a bay area AI Startup Rila with around 80 employees has openly stated in the job listing that the company hopes that employees are expected to log in more than 70 hours a week. “People have a really strong and growing subculture, especially in my generation – General Z – who grew up listening to stories of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates,” told Wired to Wired, “the company’s head told Wired.
At the same time, new research by TBPN suggests that more startups have now started working on Saturday as well. “Many San Francisco Startups claim that they practice 9-9-6, so we checked the receipts. We worked with the ramp to see the data and it is true that the Saturday has become a workday. The great lock-in is in full influence,” he revealed in a post on X.
But to achieve success, all this piece comes at a cost. While the intensity of the first work can a push to startups, putting a toll on the health of the working overtime employees. Researchers have continuously linked 996 with high stress, low productivity and eventually burnout. A cannas Journal of Medicine Study found an “significant relationship” between stress and company’s production even in Inc.
Of course, the big piece culture is not just the silicon valley that is fancy. Here in Indian IT space, it has been debated for a long time. Earlier, Indian IT veteran NR Narayan Murthy called for a long time to work. Recently, Dar Raksha Gupta, CEO of Startup at Silicon Valley, claimed that many bay area technical workers follow a 72 -hour week. And of course, his comment also criticized fast – and some applause and positive head – from many.
