So, you want to build the next groundbreaking AI. Fantastic. But what’s the price of admission? According to a growing number of tech startups, it’s about 72 hours of your week, your social life, and quite possibly, your health. We are witnessing a troubling trend where AI developer burnout isn’t just a risk; it’s becoming a bizarre badge of honour, a core part of the recruitment pitch. Is this the relentless drive of innovation, or have we just found a new, high-tech way to run ourselves into the ground?
The Glorification of Grind
Let’s not dance around the issue. US-based AI companies like Rilla are putting it right there in the job description: “Please don’t join if you’re not excited about… working ~70 hrs/week”. Browser-Use founder Magnus Müller is looking for “the most ambitious people on the planet”. Their leaders frame it as a choice for the passionate, with Rilla’s CEO Will Gao comparing his ideal employees to “Olympian athletes”. It’s a compelling narrative, especially for young, ambitious developers eager to make their mark.
This isn’t a new playbook, of course. It’s a direct import of China’s infamous ‘996’ culture – working from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. It was championed by figures like Alibaba’s Jack Ma, who once called it a “huge blessing”. Yet, even in China, the government eventually cracked down on these practices as illegal. So, why is a discredited and physically damaging work model being rebranded as the secret sauce for AI success in the West?
The answer is the immense AI industry pressure. We’re in the middle of a gold rush, a frantic scramble to monetise AI and establish market dominance. The fear of being left behind is palpable, and for some venture-backed startups, the solution seems to be brute force: throw more hours at the problem. But this isn’t strategy; it’s a panic move.
Your Health vs. Their Deadline
The human cost of this ‘hustle culture’ isn’t theoretical. A landmark study from the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation, reported by the BBC, is chilling. It linked working more than 55 hours a week to a staggering 745,000 deaths from stroke and heart disease in 2016 alone. The data showed a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease for those working these extended hours.
Think about that for a moment. The very work that is supposed to be building the future is actively harming the people creating it. It’s like trying to build a rocket to Mars with parts you know are faulty. The whole enterprise is compromised from the start.
Beyond the severe health risks, the logic of extreme hours crumbles under basic scrutiny. Studies have repeatedly shown that productivity flatlines and then plummets after a certain point. As one Michigan State University study found, an employee working 70 hours often produces no more than one working 50 hours. The extra 20 hours are a mix of fatigue, mistakes, and diminishing returns. Deedy Das of Menlo Ventures put it bluntly: This approach just leads to burnout and alienates the experienced talent you desperately need. So, what exactly is the upside?
Towards a More Sustainable AI
The conversation around work-life balance tech has, frankly, become a bit tired. The idea of a perfect seesaw between your job and your life feels like an impossible ideal. Perhaps a better goal is sustainable development—both for the technology and the people building it. This isn’t about being ‘soft’; it’s about being smart.
Building a durable, innovative company is a marathon, not a sprint. Burning out your most valuable assets—your developers—in the first few miles is a catastrophic strategic error. True innovation in tech work ethics isn’t about enduring more pain; it’s about working smarter. This is where AI itself offers a delicious irony. The very technology causing this pressure cooker environment could be the key to alleviating it. By automating repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows, AI could help achieve more in less time.
Some companies are already experimenting with genuinely new models, like the four-day workweek. Early results show boosts in productivity, employee wellbeing, and talent retention. Imagine that: treating people like humans actually makes them better at their jobs. Who knew?
The Buck Stops at the Top
Ultimately, this isn’t a problem for individual developers to solve with better time management or more mindfulness apps. This is a leadership and culture issue. When company leaders celebrate overwork and publicly shame “slackers,” as JD.com’s Richard Liu did, they create a toxic environment built on fear, not inspiration. The recent furore over Baidu’s ex-VP Qu Jing, who declared she was “not your mother” and only cared about results, shows how quickly this mindset can torch a company’s reputation.
The alternative is leadership that fosters a culture of sustainable development. It requires leaders who understand that rest is not a weakness but a critical component of creativity and problem-solving. As workplace culture expert Tamara Myles argues, it’s about creating an environment where people can thrive long-term.
The current model of importing the ‘996’ culture to win the AI race is fundamentally flawed. It’s a short-term gamble that trades employee health for a fleeting perception of speed. The future won’t be built by burnt-out developers running on fumes. It will be built by focused, rested, and motivated teams working in environments that value their wellbeing as much as their output. The question for the tech industry is no longer can we work this hard, but why would we when all the evidence shows it’s a losing game?
What are your thoughts? Have you seen this 72-hour week culture creeping into your corner of the tech world? Let me know in the comments.
