Authorities say '996' overtime practice is illegal

China's Supreme People's Court said the overtime practice of "996," working 9am to 9pm six days a week, is illegal, taking aim at the controversial practice that is common among many Chinese technology firms.

China's top court and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Thursday published guidelines and examples on what constitutes as overtime work, saying they are focusing on the issue as it has attracted widespread attention recently.

While the authorities used a case involving a parcel delivery company to explain why "996" was illegal, working such hours has become a badge of honor for some Chinese companies and employees.

Silicon Valley heavyweights such as Sequoia Capital's Mike Moritz have highlighted it as a competitive advantage the country had over the United States.

But a backlash surfaced in 2019, prompting a public debate on work hours in China's tech industry that has continued.

Last month, TikTok parent ByteDance said that it would formally end its weekend overtime policy from August 1, two weeks after its short-video rival Kuaishou announced a similar decision.