HR Arrogance in Chinese Tech | Generated by AI
Question: What are some unpopular opinions about HR practices in China’s big tech companies, particularly regarding their lack of engineering knowledge, mistreatment of engineers, and arrogance from undeserved power?
Answer:
Unpopular opinions about HR in China’s big tech firms (like Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and Pinduoduo) often stem from the intense, hierarchical work culture and the sector’s “996” schedule (9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week), which critics call modern slavery. These views are echoed in employee forums, leaked memos, and reports, highlighting HR’s role in enforcing exploitative policies without understanding the technical demands on engineers. Here’s a breakdown of key unpopular ideas, drawn from worker accounts and analyses:
1. HR Enforces Soul-Crushing Overwork Without Empathy or Technical Insight
- HR is seen as the enforcer of grueling schedules like 996 or even “007” (midnight to midnight, seven days), prioritizing company output over human limits. Engineers report HR ignoring burnout, health issues, or family needs, treating overtime as a “blessing” (as Alibaba’s Jack Ma once said). In Pinduoduo, HR allegedly pushed 380-hour months, linked to employee deaths from exhaustion—yet HR dismissed complaints as lack of “commitment.”
- Unpopular take: HR doesn’t grasp engineering’s creative demands, so they micromanage with arbitrary metrics (e.g., lines of code or task velocity), leading to sloppy work and high turnover. This “false urgency” drains innovation, as one TSMC engineer noted in cross-cultural complaints.
2. Ageism and Cost-Cutting: HR Treats Experienced Engineers as Disposable
- A harsh view is that HR “cuts off” engineers at 35 to hire cheaper fresh grads, lowballing salaries (e.g., Meituan’s entry-level pay) while squeezing veterans for max value before firing them. One architect at a top-3 firm saved the company millions in optimizations but got no bonus—HR calculated his “ROI” and assigned more unpaid tasks instead.
- Unpopular take: This isn’t efficiency; it’s predatory. HR lacks engineering depth, so they undervalue mid-career talent, fostering “neijuan” (involution)—endless internal competition where everyone fights for scraps of a shrinking pie, breeding resentment and declining skill levels overall.
3. Arrogance from Unearned Power: HR as Gatekeepers Without Merit
- Many engineers call HR “arrogant bureaucrats” who wield firing/layoff power without technical chops, often prioritizing politics over performance. In slowdowns, HR issues memos demanding “full contributions” regardless of personal crises, while hiding behind “common prosperity” rhetoric. They probe resumes invasively (e.g., project impacts, family plans) but lie about workloads during hiring.
- Unpopular take: HR deserves no such authority—they’re admins enforcing top-down obedience, stifling creativity like in Huawei or Taiwanese firms where layers of non-technical managers bury ideas. Engineers feel like “gears grinding until they break,” with HR saving face for execs at workers’ expense.
4. Hiring and Retention: HR Prioritizes Cheap Labor Over Quality
- HR is accused of discriminatory practices, like probing for “loyalty” or excluding older/foreign talent, while poaching rivals’ engineers with subsidies (e.g., Huawei’s high offers to TSMC/Indian pros). But once hired, they enforce “total obedience,” killing the motivation that drew talent.
- Unpopular take: This backfires—China’s tech edge relies on poached “mercenaries,” not homegrown loyalty, leading to IP leaks and stalled innovation. HR’s opacity (e.g., unverifiable credentials) lets underperformers rise via nepotism, eroding trust.
These opinions aren’t universal—some praise HR for rapid scaling in a competitive market—but they’re widespread among burnt-out engineers, fueling anti-996 campaigns and exits to less hierarchical firms (e.g., U.S. tech). The core gripe: HR’s power feels undeserved because they treat engineers like interchangeable parts, not creators, in a system that rewards endurance over excellence.
References:
- ‘We’re like gears grinding until they break’: Chinese tech companies push staff to the limit (Financial Times article on overwork culture)
- Tech Workers and Rising Class Consciousness in China (Analysis of 996 failures and Pinduoduo incidents)
- 996 working hour system (Overview of illegal practices in firms like ByteDance)
- My experience working at major Chinese company (abroad) (Reddit thread on soft skills gaps and obedience culture)
- Working at China big tech companies (Reddit discussion on HR dishonesty in hiring)