โDevelopersโ lives matterโ โ Chinese software engineers use Github to protest against the countryโs 996 work schedule โ South China Morning Post
What happened: A Github post naming two e-commerce companiesโJD and Youzanโknown for embracing the grueling โ996โ work schedule has received widespread support on the open development platform. A Github user using the handle โ996icuโ wrote on Tuesday that the relentless work schedule, shorthand for 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, may mean ending up in the intensive care unit, and that โdevelopersโ lives matter,โ recalling the US activist movement, Black Lives Matter. The post spread quickly and ranked first on GitHubโs trending page on Thursday, and amassing more than 80,000 โstarsโโa tool for users to bookmark a postโas of Friday morning.
Why itโs important: The 996 work schedule has claimed the spotlight recently, with Chinese startups and bigger companies like JD, 58.com, Xiaomi and Bytedance reportedly adopting the policy amid reports of Chinese developers who struggle to find a right work-life balance and quickly burn out. The viral post also highlights reliance on GitHub, a platform for Chinese developers and engineers to share their work, which is now increasingly used to discuss social issues.