Work requests while in ICU: Chinese programmer’s death sparks outrage over ‘always-on’ tech culture

Amid ongoing debates around work–life balance across the world, the death of a 32-year-old Chinese programmer has sparked fresh outrage, not only over long working hours in the tech sector, but over how deeply work intruded into his final hours of life.

The case centres on Gao Guanghui (name transliterated), a middle-level software manager at Guangzhou-based CVTE Group, who collapsed at home on a Saturday in November last year while working from home, Sina News reported.

According to Chinese media reports, Gao suddenly fell unconscious during work-related tasks and was rushed by his family to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Despite emergency treatment, he was declared clinically dead around 1 pm the same day.

What was the cause of death?

Doctors listed the cause of death as Stokes-Adams syndrome, a condition associated with severe heart rhythm disturbances and a known cause of sudden cardiac death.

Public outrage has been intensified by claims about what happened while Gao was in critical condition. His family said he was added to a WeChat technical work group during emergency treatment in the ICU, with chat records cited by local outlets indicating that colleagues continued to post work requests, including urgent tasks.

Even more disturbingly, eight hours after Gao had been pronounced dead, another message reportedly appeared in the group stating: “There’s an urgent task early Monday morning; the goods failed inspection today, so this needs to be changed.”

The message, widely shared online, became a symbol of what critics described as an “inhuman” and “always-on” work culture.

What Gao’s family said?

Gao’s family believes chronic overwork played a decisive role in his death.

His wife, Yang, said he routinely worked long hours, often leaving home at 7 am and returning after 11 pm. He reportedly slept just six to seven hours a night and continued attending work calls even while driving.

Due to staff shortages, Gao was said to be handling the workload of multiple roles, combining software development with management, customer support and coordination duties.

His salary structure reportedly followed a “low base, high performance” model, with a base pay of 3,000 yuan and a take-home salary of around 19,000 yuan per month, a system critics say encourages excessive overtime.

Following Gao’s death, his wife accused the company of processing his resignation just two weeks later and clearing his office belongings. The firm has since applied for work-related injury recognition, a case that authorities have accepted but not yet concluded.