I agree, using a world "willing" is overstretch - it's more many of them don't have a choice. Competition is huge, most cannot simply move to live and work abroad. There was a recent movement of chinese millennials giving up the rat race to "lie flat". My chinese friend says 996 is unfortunately normal there and she wish she could live somewhere else without. For me this 996 is just modern type of slavery.

You have 24 hours every day. with 996 you:

- spend 8h sleeping,

- 12h working,

- at least 1h commuting both ways

that leave you only 3h left that you spend probably to eat, take shower, do grovery. Not much space for anything else.

I think I would prefer a prison life in some scandinavian country - at least you get a lot of free time to read all the books on your reading list.