Join us today for a deep dive into China’s growing trend of pretend-to-work offices where unemployed people pay daily fees to sit in cubicles, maintain routines, and keep up appearances for family and resumes. The phenomenon started with a 2024 comedy skit and has expanded into real businesses across major cities offering strict schedules, fake clients, and even free lunch.

We examine the cultural drivers including family pressure, the curse of 35 in hiring, and the desire to avoid visible unemployment gaps. Real user stories reveal how these spaces help with job transitions, skill building, and social face-saving while contrasting sharply with American coworking spaces focused on actual productivity.

The episode also features dubbed clips from the original viral skit and explores whether similar services could emerge in the post-AI job market. We’re personally quite pleased with the dubbing system Malcolm vibecoded for Rfab.ai—if you want to try it out, you can do so here!

Episode Transcript

Malcolm Collins:Hello, Simone. I’m excited to be here with you today. Today, we are going to be diving into the phenomenon of a new type of business in China Oh. Where people pay to pretend like they’re working under a fake boss that gives them fake jobs. And this came from a China fact chasers video. love those guys. I’ve been a fan of them forever. So they did a video on this one girl who was talking about how every day she goes out, she takes the train, she pretends to work, and, you know, she stops all these ways she does it cheaply. And it’s her family, and they’re like, this is an increasing phenomenon in China. So I saw that video, and I was like, I want to know more. So I take it to AI, and the AI says, actually, the trend has advanced significantly beyond what they’re reporting in that video, and there are now centers in multiple major Chinese cities that are fake workstations. And what’s cool that I will be able to bring you guys that no one else can is dubbed a video of the advertisements for these places and the comedy sketch that kicked it off because rfab.ai’s API and website both offer dubbing. And so you get to see some of our dubbing work. I I don’t even think the, China Fact Chaser guys could do that. So... Or they could if they use our facts. I’d like... I’d give them free credits if anybody knows them.

Simone Collins:Yeah. Would help talk with them.

Malcolm Collins:But, the idea actually originally came from a Chinese variety show in December 2024. In the skit, somebody visits a fictional pretend to work company where people pay a fee to sit in an office, slack off, and maintain the appearance of employment so they can more easily transition into a real job later.

Simone Collins:Oh, wait. So it’s like a resume stuffer?

Malcolm Collins:we’ll get to why they do it. There’s actually a complicated number of reasons why they do it. Okay. but here is the video.

Speaker 3:Everyone here is just pretending

Speaker 4:So a bunch of unemployed people playing house at your place.

Speaker 3:Other than not paying salaries, our company is identical to any regular company.

Speaker 4:Like, what’s the point of writing this?

Speaker 5:Only your regular job has so much meaning.

Speaker 4:Alright. I excuse me. You guys want an office system installed. Right?

Speaker 3:Yes. Our company wants to install an o a system.

Speaker 4:No problem. So what exactly does your company...

Speaker 3:We’re Pretending to Work LLC.

Speaker 4:Pretending?

Speaker 3:A virtual company. Everyone who comes here pretends to work each day. On one hand, you keep it from your family. On the other, you stay in work mode, bridge the resume gap. So when a new job pops up, it’s a seamless transition. You catch my drift?

Speaker 4:Got it. So it’s just a bunch of unemployed people playing house here.

Speaker 3:Our management system is exceptionally strict, clocking in twice a day, alternating six day work weeks, meaning you might have unpaid weekend overtime.

Speaker 4:Unpaid? What are you ever paid? You’re a fake company.

Speaker 3:You might not get it, but except for not paying salaries, we are identical to any real company. Feel free to look around.

Simone Collins:Honestly, nice looking kid... Up in The US. This

Speaker 4:company makes you write weekly reports too? What’s the point of writing

Malcolm Collins:this?

Speaker 5:Aren’t you a regular job at so much meaning? My Rich,

Speaker 4:I I just wanna know why you guys are grinding over weekly reports here. What’s the point? I’m not like them. At my old company, already pretended to do nothing all day. Coming here, I’m like a fish in water.

Malcolm Collins:A bright future ahead. Just ignore him. Fresh grads like that, seen tons of them. Big talkers, zero skills, he’ll quit in no time. Unlike a seasoned vet like me, solid.

Simone Collins:Solid. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 4:Don’t be solid here. If you’re solid here, you’re doomed. Hey, Hammer. Why don’t I set up your accounting system too while I’m at it?

Malcolm Collins:My dubbing is pretty good though. Right? Our accounting is good.

Speaker 3:Yeah.... With system because...

Simone Collins:It’s all good books. Shh. Keep it down. Keep it down.

Speaker 4:A fake company keeps fake books, obviously. Your company’s fake, so you really don’t pay taxes. You guys are just a murder mystery lark.

Malcolm Collins:Hammer, is this the fake quote you gave us?

Speaker 3:What’s wrong, miss Lee? Did I quote too high?

Malcolm Collins:Just so you could win the fake bid. We brought in a whole fake bidding crew and put on this whole show.

Speaker 4:Wasn’t it a show to begin with? Why is he so deep in character? Where’d you even hire this

Simone Collins:actor?

Speaker 3:Take care, mister Lee.

Simone Collins:We can work something out.

Speaker 3:You might not know, but he’s our company’s fake client. Used to be a real client, but after getting laid off, he couldn’t handle the drop in status. So he came here to role play as a client.

Speaker 4:So he’s literally just here on a power trip?

Speaker 3:Not entirely. He tipped $200 before he left.

Speaker 4:I’m telling you, this is definitely a larp.

Speaker 3:The corporate world is just one giant movie set anyway. Everyone plays their part. Isn’t that great?

Simone Collins:It’s, like, the most honest thing ever.

Malcolm Collins:A real good job arguing for it.

Simone Collins:Yeah.

Malcolm Collins:I can see why it took off so big.

Simone Collins:No. I I could see it taking off here too. I think your mic shifted or you’re not talking close enough to it.

Malcolm Collins:Oh, I moved the mic. Yeah. So let’s put in another video because I I I gotta really show off

Simone Collins:my Dubbing is so good.

Malcolm Collins:Did you notice the consistent voices across the same character? The flirty voice when she was being flirty.

Simone Collins:And and the natural language and, like, slang use, it’s it’s very,

Malcolm Collins:very good.

Simone Collins:Wow. You know, it’s amazing. And we’re only just beginning. Kinda scary. But, no. Honestly, Malcolm, I I I see it, like, I see it...

Malcolm Collins:Hold Hold on. Hold We’ll it. We’ll watch the...

Speaker 6:I online plan to open a company called Pretend to Work LLC. It has literally everything a real company has. They accept paying you a salary. You only pay $30 a day, and it even comes with free lunch. Zero actual business. He provides cubicles, so people pretending to work and just sit there all day on their phones. He’ll even do rounds periodically, you can still get that thrilling rush of slacking off on the clock.

Simone Collins:He’ll even do rounds. Is that a real is that a real commercial, though, for a real Yeah.

Malcolm Collins:That’s a real commercial for a pretend company.

Simone Collins:No. Look. Look. Hear me out. Okay? There are a lot of people who have really embarrassing gaps on their resumes. I think people would pay a company. In The US, they wouldn’t pay to go to the office. So, no. No. No. I’m not doing that. That is... I think that’s a more Chinese thing. But I could see there being a g…

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