‘Huge bliss’ is a 12-hour working day — billionaire

Twelve hours’ work a day, six days a week — that’s what China’s richest man wants from his staff.

Jack Ma told an internal meeting that e-commerce giant Alibaba doesn’t need people who look forward to a typical eight-hour office lifestyle, according to a post on the company’s official Weibo account. Instead, he endorsed the industry’s notorious “996” work culture — 9am to 9pm, six days a week.

“To be able to work 996 is a huge bliss,” said Ma. “If you want to join Alibaba, you need to be prepared to work 12 hours a day, otherwise why even bother joining?

“If you don’t work 996 when you are young, when will you? Do you think never having to work 996 in your life is an honour to boast about?

“If you don’t put out more time and energy than others, how can you achieve the success you want?”

Ma’s comments come amid a fierce debate. Programmers in China protested their labour conditions on the online code-sharing community Github last month.

“By following the ‘996’ work schedule, you are risking yourself getting into the ICU [Intensive Care Unit],” according to a description posted on the “996.ICU” project page.

China’s tech industry is littered with tales of programmers and startup founders dying unexpectedly due to long hours and gruelling stress.

Ma later elaborated on his remarks. “If you find a job you like, the 996 problem does not exist; if you’re not passionate about it, every minute of going to work is a torment,” he said in an online post.

“No one likes working at a company that forces you to do ‘996’. Not only is it inhumane, it’s unhealthy and even more unsustainable for long periods — plus workers, relatives and the law do not approve of it,” he said.

“In the long term, even if you pay a higher salary, employees will all leave.

“Real 996 should be spending time learning, thinking and for selfimprovement. The people who stick to 996 must have found their passion there, and their happiness besides from money.”

Many other Chinese technology giants have come under the spotlight for their intense corporate culture. Senior executives at Huawei, Baidu and JD.com have urged staff to increase their working hours, become dedicated “strivers” and embody a competitive, fearless “wolf spirit”.

Last week, a WeChat post attributed to JD.com founder Richard Liu Qiangdong, commenting on reports of the online retailer’s plan to sack underperformers, said he would not consider “slackers” as being his “brothers”. He also called for colleagues to join him in striving for the company.

The ruling Communist Party’s mouthpiece has also stepped into the debate, with a commentary in the

People’s Daily saying those who questioned 996 should not be “labelled”.

“One should not attach the moral labels of ‘slackers’ or ‘not willing to strive’ to employees who are against 996,” said the commentary.

If you want to join Alibaba, you need to be prepared to work 12 hours a day, otherwise why even bother joining?

Jack Ma