Would You Work ‘996’? The Hustle Culture Trend Is Taking Hold in Silicon Valley.
你愿意接受“996”吗？奋斗文化趋势正在硅谷扎根
Working 9 to 5 is a way to make a living. But in Silicon Valley, amid the competitive artificial intelligence craze, grinding “996” is the way to get ahead. Or at least to signal to those around you that you’re taking work seriously. The number combo refers to a work schedule — 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week — that has its origins in China’s hard-charging tech scene. In 2021, a Chinese high court barred employers from compelling employees to work 72-hour weeks. But that hasn’t stopped California tech workers from fixating on the approach — and posting about it nonstop in recent weeks on X and LinkedIn.
朝九晚五是一种谋生方式。但在硅谷，置身于竞争激烈的人工智能热潮中，苦苦打拼的“996”才是出人头地之道。或者至少，这是一种向你周围的人表明你对待工作十分认真的信号。这个数字组合指的是一种从中国奋发进取的科技行业衍生出来的工作制——从早上9点工作到晚上9点，每周工作六天。2021年，中国一家高等法院禁止雇主强制员工每周工作72小时。但这并未阻止加州科技工作者对这种工作方式的执着——近几周来，他们在X平台和领英上对此话题的讨论持续不断。
Evidence of the trend is so far largely anecdotal: Some companies are noting their expectation for 70-hour-plus workweeks in job descriptions. Executives are said to be asking prospective hires if they are willing to work such schedules. And Ramp, a financial operations start-up, noted in a blog post this month that it had observed a higher share of corporate credit card transactions in San Francisco on Saturdays for the first half of this year than in previous years, which it took to mean that people are working more on weekends.
迄今为止，这种趋势的证据很大程度上还属于坊间传闻：一些公司在职位描述中注明期望员工每周工作70小时以上。据称，高管们会询问潜在应聘者是否愿意接受这样的工作安排。此外，金融运营初创公司Ramp在本月的一篇博客文章中指出，他们观察到今年上半年旧金山地区周六的公司信用卡交易比例较往年更高，他们认为这意味着人们在周末工作的时间更多了。
Though the term is relatively new in Silicon Valley, 996 is a “high-octane version of something that has been around in the tech industry for a while.” Since the 1960s, when semiconductor companies were in fierce competition, many tech firms have had intense, hours-heavy work cultures — and have been “California casual” on the outside and “old-fashioned workaholic” on the inside.
尽管“996”这个词在硅谷还相对较新，但它是一种“早已存在于科技行业的工作模式的高强度版本”。自20世纪60年代半导体公司陷入激烈竞争以来，许多科技公司就形成了强度大、工时长的企业文化——外表是“加州式的随意”，内里却是“老派的工作狂”。
