AsianFin -- A sudden employee death at Yuanfudao's Wuhan office on April 23 has sparked renewed outrage over China's tech industry's grueling work conditions.

The incident highlights the extreme pressures faced by workers at the online education giant, where 14-hour workdays (9 AM - 11:50 PM) are reportedly standard and night shifts with 500+ employees are common.

Following the incident, management allegedly dismissed staff under the pretext of a "network failure" - a move workers now suspect was damage control after the death was quietly confirmed by Donghu New District police. Authorities have restricted case details to family members only.