A tragic case in China has reignited public anger over extreme overwork in the tech industry after a 32-year-old IT engineer died while working over the weekend — and continued to receive work messages even after his death.
According to iFeng China, the engineer, surnamed Gao, was working from home on a Saturday morning when he began feeling dizzy. His wife, Ms Li, said Gao insisted on continuing work despite feeling unwell.
He later collapsed at home and lost control of his bladder. Although showing serious warning signs, Gao changed his clothes and asked his wife to bring his laptop as they headed to the hospital.
While heading to the car, Gao collapsed again in the elevator, suffering seizures. Emergency services arrived at 9.14am, finding him without a heartbeat or breathing. He was rushed to Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, where doctors later confirmed his death.
Doctors said Gao died from sudden cardiac arrest caused by Adams-Stokes syndrome. The diagnosis shocked his family, as a health check in June 2024 showed a normal ECG.
Ms Li revealed that Gao had recently been promoted to department manager and was overwhelmed with work. In the week before his death, he had not returned home before 9.38pm even once.
Company records showed Gao had logged into the system on the day he collapsed, with four deadlines pending. While he was still being treated, his phone received a new work group invite. Eight hours after his death, a colleague even messaged him asking him to fix a software bug.
Gao, who grew up poor in Henan, had worked tirelessly since young, even collecting trash to support his education. He later joined a company he admired and remained deeply passionate about coding.
After his death, Ms Li posted heartbreaking messages online, writing, “Even now at 10pm, I still wait for you to come home and say, ‘I’m back’.”
The case sparked widespread outrage online, with many condemning the toxic work culture. One netizen wrote, “He’s gone, and they’re still asking him to work.”
Gao’s death is currently being processed as a work-related injury.
