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Pinduoduo worker deaths reignite debate on 996 and the dark side of China tech’s overwork culture
- Pinduoduo confirmed the deaths of two young workers recently, sparking debate over a culture of overworking in China’s tech companies
- A ‘996’ work schedule of 12 hours a day, six days a week has become an unwritten standard for many of the country’s tech firms
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The dark side of working for China’s booming technology industry is under the spotlight again amid public criticism of social commerce giant Pinduoduo in the wake of two employee deaths, with many fearing the infamous 996 culture has become worse and not better due to pressure from the pandemic.
Pinduoduo, a rapidly expanding online sales firm, first found itself at the centre of a storm following the death of a 22-year-old woman surnamed Zhang, who was working at one of its new business units in Urumqi, on December 29 last year. Pinduoduo released a statement on Zhang’s death on January 4 and the same week, it said another young worker, surnamed Tan, jumped to his death in his hometown of Changsha.
Public anger at Pinduoduo intensified when a former employee, who said his name was Wang Taixu, published a 15-minute video attacking Pinduoduo for imposing extra long hours on its employees. Pinduoduo denied the allegations in a corporate statement and said Wang had been fired for “repetitively posting malicious and extreme comments” on social media, in an apparent reference to the video.
Pinduoduo had not responded to the Post’s queries about its work culture as of publication time.
The string of cases has sparked a public relations crisis for Pinduoduo, which is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce companies in China.
But it is not the only company accused of overworking employees. The culture of 996, which refers to working 12 hours a day, six days a week, has become an unwritten standard for many of the country’s tech firms.
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