VC behind ‘996’ work culture debate says 5-day weeks won't build billion-dollar startups (www.cnbc.com)

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Venture capitalist Harry Stebbings faced a wave of backlash in June after urging European startup founders to increase their work hours — but he now admits there’s some room for nuance when applying his mantra.

Stebbings, founder of 20VC, a firm managing $650 million in funds, advised founders on LinkedIn last month that “7 days a week is the required velocity to win right now,” to compete with startups in Silicon Valley and China.

The post went viral, to Stebbings’ surprise, and sparked a debate on whether China’s brutal “996” work culture — which means working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week — is needed in Europe.

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[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

We live in a world of Supply & Demand, and he won't get the supply of labor he requires unless he meets the demand for proper compensation. It's the simplest economics there is.

this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025

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