As the world races to stay ahead in the deep tech revolution — from AI and semiconductors to quantum computing — innovation has become the new currency of power. For many companies, that pressure has translated into heavier workloads and more intense work cultures. Yet they face a real dilemma: they can’t simply ease up while competitors across the globe push harder to win.
When I came across news about the intense “996” work culture — working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week, a 72-hour work week — spreading from China to Silicon Valley, it made me wonder how different countries approach work hours and workplace cultures in the tech industry. I was especially curious about how things compare here in South Korea, where I’m currently based.
In South Korea, the standard workweek is 40 hours, with up to 12 hours of overtime, usually paid at 1.5 times the regular rate or more. Employers who violate these rules risk fines, executive imprisonment, and civil liability.
The 52-hour workweek, introduced in 2018 for large companies with over 300 employees and public institutions, was gradually extended to all businesses and fully took effect on January 1, 2025.
Earlier this year, South Korea rolled out a special extended work program that lets employees work beyond the 52-hour weekly limit, with both worker consent and government approval, up to 64 hours. For deep tech sectors like semiconductors, approval periods were temporarily extended from three to six months, though local media reports suggest that only a few companies actually took advantage of it. Looking ahead, the South Korean government plans to scale back these special exemptions and tighten working-hour regulations, even as some lawmakers argue that the current guidelines are sufficient, per the report.
TechCrunch spoke with several tech investors and founders based in South Korea about how the 52-hour workweek limit affects their businesses and their R&D projects as they try to compete with global companies.
“The 52-hour workweek is indeed a challenging factor when making investment decisions in deep tech sectors,” Yongkwan Lee, CEO of South Korea-based venture capital firm Bluepoint Partners, told TechCrunch. “This is particularly relevant when investing in globally competitive sectors like semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Labor challenges are particularly complex in these sectors, where founders and teams often face intense workloads and long hours during critical growth phas …