So, Eric Schmidt recently went on a bit of a tear about why the U.S. is "losing" to China, and honestly, it’s been a total mess. He basically told a room full of Stanford students that Google got soft because they cared too much about work-life balance.
Then he doubled down on the Eric Schmidt China tech work hours narrative. He’s out here telling everyone that if we want to beat China in AI, we basically need to adopt their "996" schedule.
If you aren't familiar with 996, it’s 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. It's brutal. It’s also technically illegal in China now, but as Schmidt pointed out during an All-In podcast appearance, "they all do it anyway."
The Stanford "Car Crash" and the Deleted Video
Back in August 2024, Schmidt gave this talk at Stanford that was so blunt the university actually took the video down at his request. He didn't just mention Eric Schmidt China tech work hours; he trashed Google’s current culture. He said Google decided "going home early and working from home was more important than winning."
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Ouch.
He wasn't just venting. He was making a point about the speed of AI. In his mind, startups work because people "work like hell." He compared the relaxed Silicon Valley vibe to TSMC in Taiwan, where he noted that even PhD physicists start their careers working in the basement of factories.
His argument is pretty simple:
- AI has massive network effects.
- Because of those effects, time is everything.
- If the other guy is working 72 hours a week and you're doing 40, you’re toast.
Is 996 actually the secret sauce?
Here is the thing—people in China aren't exactly thrilled about 996. There was a huge "Anti-996" movement on GitHub a few years back. Young workers in Beijing and Shenzhen are "lying flat" (tang ping) because they're burnt out.
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But Schmidt doesn't seem to care about the burnout. He’s looking at the macro level. He sees China applying AI to robots and consumer apps at a pace that scares him. While American tech is obsessed with "Artificial General Intelligence" (AGI)—the big, flashy stuff—Schmidt thinks we’re ignoring the "day-to-day" tech where China is currently grinding us into the dirt.
What most people get wrong about this
A lot of people think Schmidt is just an old-school CEO who hates remote work. And yeah, he clearly does. He joked that if you want work-life balance, you should go "work for the government."
But the deeper fear he’s expressing is about the R&D crossover. By 2026, China's R&D spending is projected to pass the U.S. for the first time. When you combine that much cash with a workforce that's mandated (culturally, if not legally) to work 12-hour days, the math starts looking pretty grim for the West.
The Reality of the "Tradeoff"
Schmidt’s "tradeoff" comment is what really stung. He told the All-In guys that if you're in tech and you want to win, you have to make sacrifices.
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- Mentorship is dying: He argues that young people don't learn how to "argue and collaborate" when they're sitting at home on Zoom.
- The "Basement" Rule: He loves the idea of elite talent doing the grunt work. He pointed to Elon Musk and TSMC as the gold standards for "pushing people hard."
- Legal "Fixes": In perhaps his most controversial take, he suggested startups should just "steal" IP or copy things like TikTok, get famous first, and then "hire a whole bunch of lawyers to clean the mess up."
It’s a very "move fast and break things" mentality that feels like a throwback to 2005, but he’s applying it to a 2026 geopolitical arms race.
Why this matters for your career right now
You don't have to agree with him to see that the vibe in tech is shifting. The era of "perk-heavy" tech jobs with endless remote flexibility is getting squeezed by the AI race.
If you're trying to stay competitive, you don't necessarily need to work 72 hours a week, but you do need to understand the pressure. Companies like Meta and Amazon are already tightening the screws on return-to-office (RTO) mandates. They’re using the same "competitiveness" excuse Schmidt is shouting about.
Actionable Takeaways:
- Prioritize "High-Bandwidth" Learning: If you're early in your career, Schmidt is right about one thing—being in the room where decisions happen is a massive advantage. Find ways to get face-to-face time with mentors, even if your job is hybrid.
- Focus on AI Implementation: Don't just follow the AGI hype. Look at how AI is being applied to "boring" stuff like manufacturing, logistics, and consumer apps. That’s where the real competition with China is happening.
- Watch the R&D Trends: Keep an eye on where the capital is flowing. The "chaotic and clever" nature of U.S. private sector spending is our only real edge left against China's state-backed 996 machine.
- Build Resilience, Not Just Hours: Working 996 is a recipe for a heart attack, but "winning" in the current climate does require a level of intensity that many 2020-era roles didn't demand.
At the end of the day, Schmidt's comments are a wake-up call. Whether you think he’s a visionary or a dinosaur, the Eric Schmidt China tech work hours debate isn't going away because the competition he's worried about is very, very real.