Job Listing Asking for 70-Hour Work Week Sparks Fresh Backlash On Reddit: ‘Importing China’s 996 Culture’

In today’s fast-paced world, most of us are trying to strike a work-life balance. Aren’t we? Now, a job post on Reddit asking for “70 hours a week” has gone viral.

The person who shared the post said that he has been “ job hunting for over a month now.”

“Just saw this today. Job Type: Full-time, 70 hours per week (50 hr/week onsite with flexible hours + 20 hours per week work from home)…,” the Reddit post read.

The US-based role pays a base salary of $80K to $100K. With commission, total earnings could reach up to $136K. There's also a tiny equity offer of 0.05%, the post read.

According to the user, the company was willing to sponsor the employee’s visa, but the job came with no additional benefits. As the post went viral, people online reacted quickly, with many calling the work hours unreasonable.

“So, they are importing China’s 996 (9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Saturday) work culture lol,” a comment read.

Other comments echoed similar sentiments, with one user joking, “What jobs?” highlighting how tough the market is currently.

“I assume you are not applying for it?” a comment read, to which the user replied that he was not planning to apply for the job.

In India, the debate over long work hours is also gaining traction. Recently, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone made headlines for walking out of ‘Spirit’, a film by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. Reports said that she requested an eight-hour workday, which led to a fall out with the makers and sparked an industry-wide discussion on work-life balance in cinema.

In the past few months, business tycoon Narayana Murthy and Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan have also faced backlash for suggesting young Indians should work 70 to 90 hours a week. Many criticised the call as promoting a toxic work culture.

Employees argued that while businesses push for more productivity, salaries have remained stagnant. In the United States, a report by the Economic Policy Institute highlighted that as of 2024, CEO pay is now 281 times that of the average worker.