The death of a 32-year-old programmer in China, who collapsed while working from home on a weekend, has triggered widespread public outrage and renewed debate over excessive working hours in the country’s tech industry.
According to a report in Sina News, the man — identified as Gao Guanghui (transliteration) — fell unconscious at his home in Guangzhou on November 29 last year while handling work tasks. Despite being rushed to hospital, he could not be revived.
Collapsed while working on a Saturday
Gao had an intense workload and frequently worked overtime. On the morning of November 29, a Saturday, he suddenly felt unwell while working from home and fainted. His family immediately called emergency services, but doctors were unable to save him, according to a report in HK01.
Hospital records show that the 32-year-old techie was admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine at 9:46 am. He was declared clinically dead at around 1 pm.
The listed cause of death was “sudden respiratory and cardiac arrest, Stokes-Adams syndrome?”
{{/usCountry}}The listed cause of death was “sudden respiratory and cardiac arrest, Stokes-Adams syndrome?”
{{/usCountry}}Stokes-Adams syndrome is a condition linked to severe heart rhythm disturbances and is recognised as a common cause of sudden cardiac death.
Added to work chat while in hospital
What has particularly shocked the public is the claim that Gao continued receiving work-related messages even as doctors fought to save his life. Gao worked as a middle-level manager in CVTE Group’s software department.
His family said that while he was undergoing emergency treatment, he was added to a WeChat technical work group. During that time, a colleague allegedly messaged him asking him to “help process this order”.
Even more disturbing, eight hours after Gao had been pronounced dead, another message reportedly arrived stating: “There's an urgent task early Monday morning; the goods failed inspection today, so this needs to be changed.”
Data accessed by the family indicated that Gao logged into the company’s system at least five times on the day of his death.
Family believes death caused by overwork
Gao’s relatives believe his sudden death was the result of prolonged overwork. They said he frequently stayed out late due to work-related commitments, including client dinners and last-minute emergencies.
In addition to software development, Gao reportedly handled management duties and customer after-sales service. In November last year, the latest time he returned home was reportedly 11:58 pm.
According to his wife, Gao typically slept only six to seven hours a night, left home at 7 am, and often did not return until around 11 pm. He was also said to attend meetings and phone calls even while driving.
Burdened by workload
Ms Yang, Gao’s wife, told reporters that due to prolonged manpower shortages in the department, her husband had been forced to take on the workload of six to seven people. Alongside his R&D responsibilities, he was also required to accompany sales teams for business negotiations, coordinate new projects, and act as a liaison between departments.
His income structure was reportedly based on a “low base, high performance” model, meaning heavier workloads were required to earn more. His base salary was said to be 3,000 yuan. He had a monthly take-home pay of approximately 19,000 yuan ( ₹2.4 lakh).
Wife accuses company
Following Gao’s death, his wife opened an account on Xiaohongshu, accusing the company of processing his resignation just two weeks after he passed away and discarding his belongings left at the office. (Also read: Chinese man, 30, dies after 104 days of non-stop work with only 1 day off)
She said the company later sent her a box of his personal items, but claimed they were poorly packed, with some items crushed. When she later confronted the company’s management, she said her concerns were dismissed. According to her account, colleagues responded: “It's lost, it's lost. What are you going to do about it?”
Following the incident, the company submitted an application for work-related injury recognition to the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau in Guangzhou district. Authorities have accepted the application, though no conclusion has yet been announced.