Recently, in Wuhan, China, an employee of the online education institution “Ape Tutoring” suddenly passed away in the office, drawing attention once again to the issue of high-intensity overtime work.
According to online rumors, Li, an employee of “Ape Tutoring” in Wuhan, was scheduled to have a wedding in early May, so he needed to work overtime in advance. Around 11 am on April 22nd, after finishing lunch, he went to work overtime. Around 6:30 pm, he exchanged messages with his family, but then lost contact.
Around 1:30 am, his family called the police, and by 2 am, the police used his phone location to determine that he was in the office.
Subsequently, his family went to the company but couldn’t enter the building due to access control. They called his name at the entrance on the floor where he worked for one or two minutes, but no one responded. Around 5 am, the police said it was likely nothing serious and asked the family to go back first. On the morning of the 23rd, around 8 am, the cleaning staff found him lying down, unresponsive.
An employee of “Ape Tutoring” in Wuhan told “Zhengzai News” that on April 23rd, they suddenly received notice from the company that due to “network issues,” employees were not allowed to go to the office to work.
Reports indicate that on the 23rd, there were police cars, ambulances, and funeral vehicles parked outside the office building. Some employees resumed work on the 24th. The cleaning staff inside the office building mentioned that “Ape Tutoring” had many employees, working in two shifts either in the afternoon or in the morning.
On the 24th, the Wuhan Donghu New Technology Development Zone police informed the media that the sudden death did occur, but the specific details can only be revealed to the deceased’s family.
On the afternoon of April 24th, a reporter from “Everyday Economic News” visited the Wuhan Guangfu New Development International Center, Building B, based on the address displayed on BOSS Zhipin. The “Ape Tutoring” logo was visible at various locations on the 22nd and 25th floors of the building, with over a hundred employees seen busy inside.
An informant informed the media that indeed there was an issue involving a 26-27-year-old male employee at the company. The company is cooperating with the relevant departments, but the specifics are pending the police investigation results. At the same time, the company is also communicating with the employee’s family.
According to a report by Shenzhen Media Group’s Urban Channel “First Scene,” a former employee of Ape Tutoring, Ms. Sun (alias), revealed that the company’s daily management was very strict. Since they rarely met the overtime requirements set by the company, overtime was generally unpaid.
Ms. Sun also mentioned that the company’s management system could monitor all their tasks and even listen to their phone conversations from the backend. Every minute was under surveillance, leaving no room for breathing. Due to health reasons requiring surgery, she needed to take leave. However, in the week before her leave, she had to complete two weeks’ worth of work and was pressured by her supervisor every day during her surgery period.
Chinese media “Cover News” reported on April 16, 2023, that Ape Tutoring Wuhan company had “strict management.” A former employee disclosed that overtime was severe, exceeding 6 hours per day; daily management was excessively strict, even requiring reporting for meals and restroom breaks. At that time, Ape Tutoring responded that after the “double reduction” policy, there was increased industry pressure, and overtime situations existed in many companies.
Ape Tutoring is an online education platform developed by Beijing Yuanli Technology Co., Ltd. It was officially launched in June 2015, covering online tutoring for subjects from elementary to high school, supporting multiple devices for learning.
This incident quickly sparked online attention.
One netizen disclosed information about the sudden death incident, stating, “Li XX, from Zhongxiang City, Hubei, born in 1998, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Huazhong Agricultural University in June 2020. He started working at the Wuhan Guanggu Ape Tutoring training institution before graduating as a senior, and has been working for over 4 years. In April 2025, he was scheduled to get married and organize his wedding during the May Day holiday. He passed away while working overtime at Ape Tutoring on April 22, 2025.
“I have interviewed at Ape Tutoring, they test whether you are willing to work overtime without pay during the interview process. If you are unwilling, you will be directly rejected. I cooperated hard in the interview, but ended up being rejected.
“I have worked at both Xueersi and Ape Tutoring, and it’s the same – working overtime until midnight, all unpaid. Xueersi is even worse, working until midnight almost every day, while Ape Tutoring is about overtime during the transformation period. I stayed at these institutions for over two years, didn’t make much money but ruined my health from staying up late. I developed hyperthyroidism from staying up late and still haven’t recovered after three years.
“I worked in the management at a training institute, where I worked for about 15-16 hours every day, without a single break for a month and a half.
“I worked in the tutoring industry for five years, they said we could have half a day off every week, but we had no breaks at all. I feel fortunate not to have suffered a sudden death; I finally safely left and started my own business. At that time, I used to work for over ten hours almost every day.
“As someone who has worked in the education and training industry right after graduation, the big companies in this sector are blood-sucking capital machines. The money earned is blood-stained, and few colleagues could last more than a year – it’s just too tiring.”
Financial blogger and Weibo influencer “Wanliu Xiaojueye” commented, “All industries are exploiting young people quite harshly.”