Charlie McHenryI don’t care what #techbros in Silicon Valley think. The 996 work model is modern slavery, nothing less. #Workers have suffered enough already, and now #tech startups are pushing for 6, 12-hour days per week? That’s just nuts. #labor #capitalism #startups #WorkersOverBillionaires #WorkersRights
AKingsbury"The 996 work model is modern slavery, nothing less."
Any time someone compares something to #slavery, the first question that comes to my mind is "Can the people in question quit?"
Oh, they can? And they won't be imprisoned or beaten? No one else owns them, and they do indeed own themselves? Then it's #notslavery.
@AlexanderKingsbury Point taken. It is important to note, however, that the 966 model first appeared in the Chinese tech sector, where it is much more slavery like and workers have few options. The fact that Silicon Valley tech startups are emulating this model is disturbing to me at the very least.
Is it disturbing to you that someone would offer such work arrangements, or that people would take them? Or both?
@AlexanderKingsbury Both. The expectation that 12-hour days six days/week is *normal* is a step in the wrong direction, on the part of the employer and employee. A balance between work and life, including adequate personal time, is essential to quality of life imo. Given the broad expectation that AI will take a least some jobs, both blue- and white-collar, it is essential that we maintain a proper work-leisure cycle going forward. The positioning and utterances of tech startup founders as overlords is a bit much for me to take (without LOL).
What if I told you that there already are jobs in the US with people working every day of the week, more than 72 hours per week? And that said situation has existed for decades?
Martin@CharlieMcHenry I'm limited to 70 hours in 8 days. I've worked 6 12's before, but the job wasn't very demanding.