The issue of long working hours and high-pressure jobs in China’s tech industry has once again drawn attention. At the end of November last year, a heartbreaking incident occurred in Guangdong: a 32-year-old programmer suddenly collapsed and died on his way to work overtime on a weekend. What’s even more chilling is that, even while he was in the emergency room, and for hours after he was pronounced dead in the hospital, his phone continued to receive work messages.
According to Chinese media reports, the deceased, Gao Guanghui’s wife, Ms. Li (alias), recently posted on social media recalling her husband’s work life. She revealed that for several days in a row, she had to urge her husband to come home from work at 9 to 10 pm, and would even check his car’s location to see if it was still parked at the company. As long as the car was there, she knew he had gotten so absorbed in work he lost track of the time.
According to emergency medical records, when Gao Guanghui was sent to the hospital, his medical file clearly noted "programmer" and "frequently stays up late." After he was transferred to Guangdong Second Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, his family also informed medical staff that he usually coped with "high work intensity and pressure."
It is understood that Gao Guanghui was originally from Henan. He moved to Guangdong with his parents as a child and used to collect recyclables for pocket money. When he was attending university at a software college, he worked multiple part-time jobs due to financial difficulties. Later, he met his future wife—a fellow student—and the two eventually got married, though they have not had children.
In his diary during his lifetime, he once wrote that “Fate and setbacks have allowed me to slowly grow.” In addition, during his student days, he acted bravely and, together with classmates, apprehended a thief.
After entering the workforce, Gao Guanghui gradually rose to become a department manager. According to Ms. Li, in the week before the incident, the earliest her husband came home was 9:38 pm, and the latest was 10:47 pm.
She recalled that on the morning of November 29 last year, her husband got up early and then said he was feeling unwell. He sat on the living room floor, saying he felt like he was about to faint and couldn’t stand up, and even said he seemed to have lost bladder control.
She immediately decided to accompany her husband to the hospital. He still insisted on bringing his laptop, saying he didn’t think his condition was severe, and that if he was able, he could continue working at the hospital. However, before they even reached the consultation room, he lost consciousness in the elevator and ultimately could not be saved.
According to reports, during Gao Guanghui’s resuscitation, he was added to a WeChat work group in which a colleague requested, “Engineer Gao, please help handle this order.” About 8 hours after he was declared dead, his WeChat still received private messages from a coworker, saying “There’s an urgent task first thing Monday, if today’s inspection doesn’t pass, this needs to be changed,” which shows the company seemingly had no idea he had already passed away.
Currently, Gao Guanghui’s company has submitted a work injury claim to the Huangpu District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau in Guangzhou. The case has been formally accepted and is still under further review.