12-hour days a ‘blessing’

CHINA’S richest man is calling for his countrymen to work 12-hour days, six days a week.

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, China’s version of eBay, said the opportunity to put in more hours was a “blessing”.

Fellow tech entrepreneur Richard Liu, the boss of online shopping giant JD, has echoed Ma’s calls, speaking out against a rise in the number of “slackers” in China.

Defending the so-called 996 system – working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week – Ma, 54, said: “I personally think that being able to work 996 is a huge blessing.”