In LinkedIn, the European Startup is pressuring the founders to accept the culture of China’s toxic “996” work and they are pushing back.
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The European Startup scene was recently shaken by A LinkedIn talk Some venture capitalists apply pressure on the founders to accept an excessive work culture to compete on the global platform.
“996” work culture is supreme in China and has been adopted by various tech giants including this Jack Ma’s Alibaba And Titloke of the bytadensBut the system is also a matter More protest In recent years. In 2021, European tech workers told CNBC that they were rejecting job offers, rejecting interviews or abandoning their roles after learning of Tictok’s 996 work culture.
Sebastian Bekar, a general partner of VC company Redalpine based in Switzerland, addressed the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who called for a debate on LinkedIn in Germany to remove the eight -hour legal work limit per day in Germany.
Wail Told Merge’s offer does not go away enough, because “40 hours a week will not cut it.”
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Index Ventures Partner Martin Mignot in London Explained 996 in LinkedIn originated in China and “quietly” in internationally startups.
One part of this recent push is that Europe’s technology and early scene is a continuous view Lagging Behind the US and China, both have produced tech giants and are known for their fierce work cultures.
“What Europe really needs is not much hustle-pearl. It’s a more aggressive fund.”
Sarah Werner
Co-founder of Hasmus
However, the general partner of the Baldarton Capital has told CNBC that Tunnel Chandrilli has told CNBC, which has produced European Deca-corn in recent years- companies worth more than 10 billion, including Clarna, Revolat, Vice and Check Out. The continent still does not have to produce a trillion dollar tech firm Navidia.
“The European Tech Market and Environmental system continue with the US and Asia today … In the 1980s the European Tech scene was behind the tech scene along the west coast of the US, but now it is not true,” Chandratalak said in an interview.
996 Europe calls to adopt a work culture a The wave of the backlash. CNBC spoke about why he disagrees with seven European Startup Founders and VCs.
‘Fetalization of excessive work’
Founders and VCS said that the glorification of the Hustle culture in the early landscape emerges from China’s 996 or Silicon Valley’s 24/7 work culture.
“It’s a myth about the fetalization of excessive work rather than smart work …” Chandrathillek said. “There are plenty of myths around the idea of telling California stories. And startups are around the concept of how to look…. There is hard effort. But if you really spend time in that ecosystem, you will find that a lot of people will really strive, but there are periods they don’t work.”
London -based local and founder Silicon Valley’s Nina Mohanty Bloom moneyThe fact is that there are “permanent consequences and undesirable consequences” to adopt aggressive overwork culture, “
“You only have to think about Rivola and the culture they have, perhaps the closest to the culture of 996 in Europe, and they struggled,” Mohanty told CNBC. “Their mantra rate was incredibly increased within their team, and even if they were Struggled to get their banking licenseAnd their culture is actually referred to as one of those reasons. “
For his part, Revolat said it would work in “high-growth, high-performance atmosphere” for CNBC.
“In accordance with this, we have evolved how we support our people: Value-based behavior, through a culture built for constructive development and cooperative, challenging and quantity,” a spokesman for Revolat said.
Nova Khamalla, a general partner of Dont Quit Ventures, pointed out that “no need for 996” and these values differ from both European mood and control.
“The most successful companies in Europe – from Spotify to SAP – were not dominated by excessive work but through sustainable innovation cultures,” Khamalla said.
He gave examples of Silicon Valley Uber And ChameleurBoth companies that have stretched out to Europe and faced a massive controller Pushback.
“These examples are Silicon Valley’s ‘Fast Fast and Break Things’ Ethos often breaks down around the rights of workers, privacy and sustainable business practices against European values, Khamalla said.
‘I hope my contestants are doing 996’
Jas Skembri-Stotart, founder of Luna, said that gen Z and Millennials have “less tolerance” for toxic hustle cultures.
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Sarah Vernar, co-founder of Hasmus, told CNBC that the on-on culture always reduces retention and creates a revolving door of talent.
“Today, the overwork is a crisis of productivity tomorrow,” Vernar said. “Personally, I think my competitors are doing 996. They make it so easy when they decide that they have enough to hunt big guys.”
Dama Sathianathan, a senior partner of Bethnal Green Ventures, said that “recommending” the working hours is not helpful, especially for workers’ well -being.
“Seting workers does not always lead to good productivity, or helps to distinguish from other companies for a long time.
Meanwhile, the younger generation at work is less likely to be overworked and favored Prioritize work-life balance.
Jas Skembri-Stotart, founder of Luna, said that the health and well-being of teenage girls, said that 996 young talents are kept away from European startups.
“People can tolerate excessive work for a while, but eventually this leads to mantra and resentment, especially with Jan Z and junior millennials, there is little tolerance to toxic hustle cultures,” said Skembri-Stothart.
Europe’s initial ecosystem should be strong
Instead of increasing work hours, the founders insist that startups need more money and resources to make themselves important in the global opening scene.
“What Europe really needs is not much hustle-pearl, it is more aggressive funding,” Varnar said. “With the right level of capital, our startups can hire a lot of talent to work hard without breaking themselves. If 50 persons are burning to maintain a US VC or Chinese government’s support start, the problem is not their stamina, this is their cap table.”
In fact, European Tech Startups have lost about 5 375 billion growth fund since 2015, with founders lose 300 billion potential in European investments, Nuclear European Tech State Report published in 2024. Additionally, one of the two companies turns the US for the US for capital rather than Europe.
“What European Startups really need is to admit, talent and support-growing, to quickly and effectively measure,” Skembri-Stothart said. “The venture landscape in the US is a different ball game, and here it is tough to compete with it without a strong ecosystem.
‘ASONS
The founders have acknowledged that the initial life requires an intense hustle and grind, but it is a more subtle image than just adopting 996.
Timothy Armu, CEO of Co-founder and Fanbites, he is an influential marketing organization Sold for eight persons In 2022, CNBC said that the new 996 push was a “huge supporter”, but he admitted that the time was important.
“I hope that there are afraid but if you are a founder for the first time or your primary goal is basically a wealth, I will be very honest.
Armu said there was no excuse because AI allows entrepreneurs to be maximized because it reduces some time -consuming manual functions.
Meanwhile, Bloom Money’s Mohanty said she was working when she didn’t sleep. “The initial stage teams are almost unknowingly or actually tended to say, working 996 life, because when you are at an early stage, you have to be less harshly hustle, and especially if you are an founder, you are always and always working, and it is very difficult to put it out.”
The Skembri-Stotart draws a line to make more work to use his team. “Working on the weekends is my choice, but in my team, I will never expect that pushing your teams to a breaking point is definitely glorified.
Silicon Valley Tech Executive Dion McKenzie has warned that the expectations of the culture of the 996 culture warned that VC money could not be reached for early -stage early enterprises.
“My fear is that as these new rupees and tendencies become a standard and standards, it excludes many amazing founders, which respect and/or be careful to be careful or not to be careful,” McKenzi said.
