AI company expects staff to work 7 days a week until 2am but 'golden handcuffs' keep them from leaving

Working long hours every now and then is one thing, but making it a habit can quickly lead to burnout and high employee turnover.

Today, more and more companies worldwide are considering shorter work weeks to keep their teams happy.

LinkedIn’s founder even predicts that the traditional 9-5 workday might soon become obsolete as employees look for a better work-life balance.

However, one tech company values the opposite and expects its employees to be at their desks seven days a week and often work until the early hours of the morning.

Despite this intense work culture and almost no work-life balance, artificial intelligence company Nvidia actually has a surprisingly low staff turnover.

But it’s not necessarily because employees are happy working until 2 am most nights but because they’re hesitant to leave.

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A former Nvidia engineer told Bloomberg News that many employees received high salaries and bonuses and said they feel they have 'golden handcuffs,' making it extremely tough to walk away.

According to the former employee, it was also common to see many employees be awarded tickets for major events like the Super Bowl and NBA Finals.

The company, which specialises in AI chips, also reportedly gives its employees stock grants that typically vest over four years.

Other employees have spoken out about the company's internal working environment on a day-to-day basis.

For example, one employee shared that she regularly attended up to 10 meetings a day, each involving more than 30 people - many of which ended in 'shouting and fighting'.

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Others have agreed and described Nvidia's work culture as a 'pressure cooker' where meetings often escalate into heated arguments.

But for many at Nvidia, the high salary and job perks are a powerful enough incentive for the workers to persevere and withstand the grind.

Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s co-founder and chief executive officer, has previously spoken about the company’s demanding culture, saying in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes: 'If you want to do extraordinary things, it shouldn’t be easy.'

The company is now considered a powerplayer in the industry of semiconductors as the rise of AI continues rapidly.

According to the New York Post, since 2019, Nvidia’s stock has surged by 3,776%, meaning that employees who’ve been with the company for the past five years are 'likely to be millionaires.'

When contacted by UNILAD, a spokesperson for Nvidia declined to comment.