Bilibili employee death reignites overwork debate in China

A content moderator at Chinese video streaming site Bilibili died on Feb. 4 while working a Lunar New Year holiday shift. On Monday, the company said that the deceased employee didn't work excessive hours before his death, but online influencers say otherwise. Why it matters: The sudden death of the Bilibili employee has renewed public discussions about the persisting overwork culture of Chinese tech companies. Under mounting public scrutiny, Chinese tech giants such as Alibaba, ByteDance, Meituan, and Kuaishou have tried to improve staff's working conditions by either introducing shorter working hours or enhancing worker benefits. Details: A Bilibili employee, nicknamed "Twilight Muxin" died of a brain hemorrhage on Feb. 4 after working a holiday shift from home during the seven-day break for the traditional Chinese New Year, according to an internal Bilibili memo shared with TechNode on Tuesday. The employee joined Bilibili in May last year and worked in the company's content review department. Bilibili denied the employee had worked overtime in a Monday memo, stating that he had worked 9:30 a. m. to 6:30 p. m. each day during the Spring Festival, considered "Regular working hours."