Chinese techie dies due to heavy workload, company faces backlash

Tech worker continues receiving work messages in hospital. (Image credit: Reuters)

A 32-year-old programmer in China collapsed while working from home on a weekend, prompting widespread public outrage and reigniting debate over long working hours in the tech sector.

According to Sina News, Gao Guanghui (transliteration), a programmer in Guangzhou, fell unconscious at his home on November 29 last year while working. He was rushed to the hospital, but he could not be saved.

Goa, who worked as a middle-level manager in CVTE Group’s software department, often faced an intense workload and often worked overtime.

On Saturday morning, he suddenly fell ill while working from home and fainted. According to HK01, his family immediately took him to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine at 9:46 am, and he was declared clinically dead at around 1 pm.

The cause of death was reported as Stokes-Adams syndrome - a condition associated with severe heart rhythm disturbances and often linked to the cause of sudden cardiac death.

What has drawn outrage is that Goa reportedly was receiving work messages even during his treatment.

According to his family, Goa was added to a WeChat technical work group while he was undergoing emergency treatment. Shockingly, eight hours after Gao’s death, another message reportedly popped up stating: “There's an urgent task early Monday morning; the goods failed inspection today, so this needs to be changed.”

Goa’s relatives believe his death was caused by chronic overload. He often stayed out late due to client meetings and urgent work tasks. According to his wife, Ms Yang, Goa typically slept 6-7 hours, left home at 7 am, and often returned after 11 pm. He used to attend work calls even while driving.

Goa’s wife further told that his pay structure was reportedly based on a “low base, high performance” system, which demanded extra work to earn more. His base salary was 3,000 yuan, while his monthly take-home pay was approximately 19,000 yuan ( Rs 2.4 lakh).

After Gao’s death, his wife opened an account on Xiaohongshu, accusing the company of processing his resignation just two weeks later and after he threw his belongings left at the office.

Following the incident, the company applied for work-related injury recognition in Guangzhou; authorities accepted the case, but a final decision is still pending.