A troubling workplace trend is emerging across American businesses, particularly in tech hubs like San Francisco. The "9-9-6 work schedule"—where employees work from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., six days a week—is making its way from Asia to the United States, raising serious concerns about employee wellbeing and work-life balance.
This grueling 72-hour work week, originally popularized in China, represents what experts are calling "corporate abuse." The schedule forces employees to sacrifice their weekends and personal time, creating a culture of overwork that has historically led to severe health consequences in Asian markets, including "karoshi"—the Japanese term for death from overwork.
The Health Risks Are Real and Documented
The dangers of extreme work schedules aren't theoretical. British researchers have found that employees working more than 11-hour days face a 67% higher risk of heart attacks. Those putting in more than 54 hours weekly are at significantly increased risk of dying from work-related stress and overexertion.
Despite these alarming statistics, some of America's most prominent business leaders maintain punishing schedules themselves. Apple's Tim Cook is known for sending emails as early as 4:30 a.m., while former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer reportedly worked up to 130 hours weekly. Tesla's Elon Musk is famous for his 120-hour workweeks.
Data Shows the Trend Is Real
Recent analysis from financial platform Ramp provides concrete evidence that the 9-9-6 culture has moved beyond corporate rhetoric into measurable business activity. Their study of corporate spending data reveals that San Francisco employees are increasingly working Saturdays, as evidenced by a spike in restaurant takeout and delivery orders from noon to midnight on weekends.
While San Francisco shows the strongest patterns, similar trends are emerging in New York and other tech centers, though at roughly a quarter of San Francisco's intensity and primarily limited to late-evening meals after 8 p.m.
Significantly, this isn't just a tech phenomenon. The data suggests the 9-9-6 mentality is spreading across various sectors, affecting a broader range of San Francisco-based businesses beyond AI startups and software companies.
Expert Perspectives on the Trend
Ara Kharazian, Ramp's economist, contextualizes the trend within the Bay Area's competitive startup culture. He describes it as part of building "fast-moving startups that can beat the competition." However, he reassures concerned workers that this remains a subculture rather than a nationwide expectation, stating that most workers shouldn't fear being required to work 60-hour weeks just to maintain employment.
Peter Duris, CEO of Kickresume, takes a more cautionary stance. His research indicates that work-life balance has become a top priority for job seekers, with some generations valuing it over compensation. He argues that 72-hour work weeks aren't necessary for business success and that prioritizing employee wellbeing might actually be the key to creating successful workplaces where people want to contribute their best efforts long-term.
Strategies for Employees
For workers facing pressure to adopt extreme schedules, experts recommend several protective strategies:
Establish Clear Boundaries: Set firm limits on working hours, log off on time, and avoid responding to work communications outside designated hours. While occasional overtime isn't necessarily harmful, maintaining clear work-life boundaries becomes crucial when schedules are already demanding.
Communicate proactively: If feeling overwhelmed, speak with managers and team members about workload concerns. Supervisors may be able to provide support, and colleagues might help redistribute tasks more equitably.
Prioritize Breaks: Take full lunch breaks and incorporate short periods throughout the day to step away from work, stretch, and decompress. These moments of restoration are essential for maintaining focus and preventing burnout.
Recommendations for Employers
Business leaders can take concrete steps to prevent the negative impacts of intensive work cultures:
Monitor Team Workloads: Actively track which team members are handling excessive tasks and redistribute work when some employees have lighter schedules. This prevents individual burnout while maintaining overall productivity.
Provide Mental Health Resources: Offer mental health support and training for managers to identify signs of burnout and stress. Mental Health First Aid programs can help ensure employees receive the necessary support before problems escalate.
Cultivate Healthy Work Culture: Actively promote work-life balance by encouraging the use of paid time off and establishing norms around reasonable working hours. This approach not only reduces employee stress but also helps attract and retain top talent.
While current data suggests the 9-9-6 trend remains limited to specific subcultures of highly competitive firms, the implications for the broader workplace are significant. Most productivity experts agree that sustainable success depends on finding a healthy work-life balance rather than treating employee wellbeing as expendable in pursuit of profit.
As we move through 2025, the challenge for companies will be creating work cultures that blend productivity and profitability with humanity and wellness. The alternative—unrealistic schedules that treat employees as machines rather than human beings—risks not only individual health but also long-term business sustainability.
The choice facing American businesses is clear: embrace the proven benefits of balanced work cultures or risk following a path that has already demonstrated its human costs in other parts of the world. The data on health risks, employee preferences, and sustainable productivity all point toward the same conclusion—that true business success requires treating employee wellbeing as a strategic advantage, not an obstacle to overcome.