Sarah, a 28-year-old employee at one of San Francisco’s hottest startups, is beyond burned out. She’s working a 996 schedule—9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week—a phenomenon that’s swept Silicon Valley this year amid the AI boom.
Sarah, whose asked that we refer to her by a pseudonym to avoid backlash from her employer, is trapped in a cycle of working from breakfast to bedtime. Meanwhile, her personal to-do list is spiraling out of control as her wife bears nearly the full burden…

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