Why China's technology industry is up in arms over work schedule

A work schedule dubbed"996"-from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week - went viral overnight on China's cyberspace.

The incident first surfaced last week as Chinese coders openly expressed their weariness over the de facto unpaid overtime - an industry malaise - by creating a project called 996.ICU. The grim joke suggested that by conforming to such a relentless work culture, one risks ending up in an intensive care unit.

Apparently, complaints have escalated into a broader debate on work-life balance, a rarity, or even a luxury for Chinese tech workers in the cutthroat competition for users and capital.