Zhou Yuan was an executive at an Internet company, overseeing three departments with over two-hundred people beneath him.
He himself worked hard every day, even coming in on weekends to put in overtime, embodying the 996 spirit, and reaped the rewards every day.
When a leader worked overtime, naturally, those below him felt embarrassed not to do the same. Although the company did not encourage overtime, urging everyone to go straight home after work, this led most people to work from home instead. As a result, working hours were no longer confined to nine o'clock endings and many people ended up working longer than the previous 996 schedule. Some even began to think that they might as well return to 996.
Zhou Yuan was full of energy, oblivious to the fact that people his age struggled to sleep so early.
