Crypto Executive Zhuang Xinru Dies by Suicide Amid Allegations of Long Working Hours and Blacklist Threat

A Chinese crypto executive, Zhuang Xinru, died by suicide after alleging long working hours and a 'blacklist' threat from her former firm. The 37-year-old was found dead in her car on August 24 beside a stretch of Interstate 15 in the Mojave desert.

Before her death, she had published a long post on X accusing Hack VC of keeping her on 13-to-14-hour days, six days a week - roughly 78 to 84 hours. She also claimed that the firm threatened her with an 'industry blacklist' when she tried to resign.

Hack VC's co-founder Alexander Pack said the firm was shocked and grieved by her death, but denied any direct contact with Zhuang for over ten months.

The case has sparked outrage on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where users have criticized the long working hours in the crypto industry. A widely reposted summary put it plainly: 'she had gone public while still alive - the hours, the illness, the sleeplessness - and when the settlement came wrapped in a confidentiality clause, she chose no money over silence.'