A top Chinese AI developer has punished numerous staff members for taking a longer lunch break than allowed, bringing back memories of the intense work culture that plagued the country’s tech sector years ago.
In a companywide memo, iFlytek Co reprimanded over a hundred employees for leaving their workstations to stand in line for free chicken lunches at the campus cafeteria. As a disciplinary measure, those who exceeded the allotted hour will receive a “C” review rating, according to the memo, which was posted online and verified by a company representative.
The post garnered over 66 million views on Chinese social media platform Weibo, shedding light on the immense pressures faced by the country’s AI sector. This sector is currently the hottest segment of the tech industry, which is still recovering from the crackdown imposed by Beijing in late 2020.
Many users viewed this incident as an example of unreasonable expectations placed on employees as countless startups and industry leaders like Baidu Inc and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd strive to develop their own ChatGPT-style services. Many argued that tech employees often work overtime without additional pay.
The memo read, “Colleagues, iFlytek is moving forward at full speed as AI enters another phase of rapid development today. However, there are both opportunities and challenges for us. We will reject any actions that go against company values.”
iFlytek, listed on the Shanghai stock exchange, is a prominent player in the Chinese AI industry and was one of the first companies to publicly demonstrate its generative AI platform.
The industry’s “996” culture, which required employees to work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week, with added overtime, was once deemed necessary for survival in a competitive tech industry. However, it became a topic of national debate following the deaths of several employees. China’s highest court subsequently banned the practice around 2021, and it appeared to fade away during the industry slump caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. – Bloomberg
