Former Google CEO warns tech workers: Competing with China’s 12-hour workday means no work-life balance

Former Google CEO sounds alarm about tech sector’s ability to compete with China and warns working from home isn’t helping.

Eric Schmidt, who was Google’s top boss for a decade in the early 2000s, said in an interview at a conference published by the All-In podcast in September 2025 that he doesn’t believe in remote work, in part because it doesn’t help U.S. tech companies compete with China’s hard-working culture.

“If you want to work in tech and win, you’re going to have to make compromises,” Schmidt said. “Don’t forget that we are facing the Chinese; the work-life balance of the Chinese consists of 996, which is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.”

Schmidt added that working from home is particularly detrimental for young people who may be highly educated but have little or no experience in the job market. Schmidt said he learned a lot early in his career at Sun Microsystems (where he eventually became CTO) simply by being around the office and hearing his older colleagues argue in person.

“How do you recreate that in this new thing?” » he asked about working remotely.

A spokesperson for Schmidt declined to comment.

The obsession with 996

China’s 996 work schedule was banned in 2021, but Schmidt insisted on the podcast: all Chinese tech companies still do it. This kind of obsession with work is also making its way into Silicon Valley. A growing number of startups, and particularly AI ones, in the Bay Area now expect their employees to work 72 hours a week, according to Wired.

For some young diehards, Silicon Valley’s gradual shift from naps to office sleep is good news. Many twenty-somethings, raised in the Zuckerberg-inspired hustle culture made famous in the movie The Social Network, willingly forgo work-life balance for startup success, the Wall Street Journal reported. Fintech startup Ramp also claimed that its proprietary data showed an increase in work on Saturdays, showing that “996 is real” because “employees based in San Francisco are increasingly working on Saturdays.” On the other hand, the change in corporate card transactions for restaurants, delivery and takeout was an increase of 0.4%, so perhaps not entirely statistically significant.

Schmidt previously criticized his former company, Google, for its somewhat lax policies regarding remote work and productivity. At a conference at Stanford University in 2024, he said: “Google decided that work-life balance, going home early and working from home was more important than winning.” » Stanford later deleted the video and Schmidt withdrew his comments.

“Eric spoke poorly about Google and his work schedule and regrets his mistake,” a spokesperson for Schmidt said in a statement to Business Insider.

After implementing liberal work-from-home policies during the pandemic, Google reduced remote work and required some remote employees to come to the office three days a week. As the AI ​​race heats up, Google’s Sergey Brin asked employees working on its Gemini AI model to work in the office “at least” every day of the week, and added that 60 hours a week was “the sweet spot for productivity,” the New York Times reported.

Schmidt, during the September interview, jokingly glanced at venture capitalist and now former White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks. Work-life balance has its place in at least one sector of work.

“I’m all for work-life balance, and that’s why people work for the government,” he said.

A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on September 25, 2025.

Learn more about the technology:

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos