Programmer dies after years of overwork, assigned urgent task eight hours after death

SHAH ALAM - A 32-year-old Chinese software programmer died suddenly after years of intense work and was sent a work message just eight hours after his death.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the man, identified as Gao Guanghui, collapsed on a Saturday in November, last year, after feeling unwell earlier that morning.

It was reported that his wife, who used the pseudonym Li, said Gao woke up early and told her he did not feel well, but still wanted to sit down and do some work.

His condition then worsened and he suffered convulsions and lost consciousness on the way to the hospital.

Doctors at the Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, China later confirmed that he had died from a sudden heart attack, which may have been due to long-term overwork.

Li said her husband logged into his company’s work system five times on the day he died.

While doctors were still trying to save him, his chat app account was added to a new group. Eight hours after his death, he was assigned an urgent task.

In the days leading up to his death, Li said Gao had been coming home after 9.30pm every night.

She said this had become normal after he was promoted to team leader in 2021.

She shared chat messages showing how she often asked him to leave work and come home, but he refused, saying the workload was too heavy and he needed to support his team.

"If I could turn back time, I would force him to quit his job," Li reportedly said.

Gao’s story touched many online, especially after details of his difficult childhood emerged.

He had moved from Henan province to Guangzhou in Guangdong province, southern China with his parents as a child and used to collect rubbish on the streets to earn pocket money.

While studying at a software college, he took on part-time jobs to support himself.

He later married his college sweetheart and the couple did not have children.

It was reported that in a diary entry written when he was 16, he wrote: "My destiny and difficulties push me to grow up. I need to work hard and harder."

After his death, friends and former classmates reached out to his widow.

One shared a story about how Gao once chased down a bag thief with classmates, something Li initially thought was an exaggeration until photos were shared to confirm it.

The case has renewed debate about China’s harsh work culture, especially in the technology sector, where the so-called "996" system (working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week) was common.

Although Chinese labour laws limited working hours, enforcement remained weak.

A 2021 World Health Organisation report found that long working hours increased the risk of death from heart disease by 42 per cent.

It was also reported that the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau that manages Gao’s company were investigating the case.

Meanwhile, online reactions were filled with anger and sadness with many saying Gao's experience reflected their own lives.