AI Giant DeepSeek Bans Overtime, Hits $60B Valuation

While tech giants around the world demand 70-hour work weeks, one AI company is proving the opposite approach works even better.

DeepSeek has exploded from startup to $60 billion powerhouse in just three years, with 173 million downloads since January 2025. Founder Liang Wenfeng credits an unusual strategy: no overtime, no performance targets, and employees choose what to do with half their day.

"We generally don't work overtime," Liang revealed in a staff discussion obtained by Tencent Technology. His reasoning is simple: "Research needs a relaxed environment. If you push too hard, you can't do research."

The company has no rigid hierarchy, no employee rulebook, and no written mission statement. Workers aren't given monthly targets or key performance indicators to hit.

"We hope 'formal work' doesn't take more than half of an employee's time," Liang explained. "The other half is unallocated. They can do whatever they want."

This approach stands in stark contrast to China's infamous 996 culture, where employees work 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week. Despite being outlawed in 2021, the grueling schedule has become a badge of honor among Chinese tech founders.

Alibaba's Jack Ma once called 996 "a great blessing" and credited it for his company's success. Giants like Tencent and JD.com have similarly celebrated extreme work hours as essential to winning.

The pressure has spread globally. Venture capitalists like Harry Stebbings recently declared "7 days a week is the required velocity to win right now." Some tech companies are even adding 996 clauses to employment contracts.

Yet DeepSeek is beating competitors with the opposite philosophy. While Silicon Valley founders preach intensity and endless hustle, Liang's team works regular hours with freedom to explore their own interests.

The Ripple Effect

DeepSeek's success is sending ripples through the global tech industry. The company proves that sustainable work cultures can compete with burnout-driven rivals, potentially encouraging other founders to rethink their approach.

Young workers in China have been fleeing to manual labor jobs to escape brutal office culture, and youth unemployment keeps rising. DeepSeek offers a different path forward, one where innovation happens through creativity and focus rather than exhaustion.

The world's newest AI giant just showed that treating people well might be the real competitive advantage.