Europe’s biggest VCs are going to war over adopting China’s 996 ‘always on’ culture: ‘Don’t listen to a jumped

A war is brewing in Europe’s startup community over three numbers that would have mass implications for tech workers, and perhaps beyond: 996.

Stoked by an ongoing debate about Europe’s competitiveness with other territories, leaders of some of the region’s biggest VCs have waded into a battle startups should be working in order to compete with U.S. and Chinese tech firms.

Harry Stebbings, founder of the 20VC fund, ignited the latest debate last weekend when he said Silicon Valley had “turned up the intensity,” and European founders needed to take notice.

“7 days a week is the required velocity to win right now. There is no room for slip up,” Stebbings said on LinkedIn. “You aren’t competing against random company in Germany etc but the best in the world.”

His fellow venture capitalist