DeepSeek Rejects 996 Culture as Silicon Valley Pushes Longer Work Hours

DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng has distanced his company from China's notorious 996 work culture, which demands employees work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week. He argues that meaningful research thrives in a relaxed setting rather than under rigid performance pressure. DeepSeek employees are not given key performance indicators and are allowed unstructured time to think and explore. This philosophy stands in contrast to several Silicon Valley executives who have recently called for longer workweeks and higher output demands. Despite its unconventional approach, DeepSeek continues to grow its presence in the artificial intelligence industry.