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The head of public relations at Chinese search giant Baidu has sparked her own public relations crisis after posting several videos on social media demeaning employees – the latest example of the sometimes brutal workplace practices in China’s tech sector.
“I can put you out of work in this industry,” Baidu Vice President Qu Jing said in a video. She added that she needs employees who are dedicated enough to work alongside her for 50 days of business travel in a row and that she doesn’t care if it affects their personal life. “I’m not your mother,” she said. “I’m all about results.”
Qu also said she was so devoted to Baidu that she didn’t know about her son’s school year.
The executive posted the videos on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and wanted the clips to serve as examples for her team on how to use social media to promote Baidu. Instead, they have reignited criticism of the workplace culture of Chinese technology companies.
“Employees will never feel comfortable in a company where there is not a bit of warmth,” one user wrote on the social media platform Weibo, where Qu’s comments are trending. As of Thursday, the discussion had 150 million views.
“She wanted to create an ‘iron lady’ image, but the context has changed,” said independent tech columnist Wang Qingrui. “Now people don’t agree with the logic of those in power.
“She not only represents herself in the videos, but also Baidu’s culture and values,” he added. “This exacerbates Baidu’s image problems.”
Qu’s comments have also revived concerns about working conditions. The long hours often expected of technical workers are referred to as “996” – meaning they start work at 9am, leave at 9pm and work six days a week.
While there was some improvement after Beijing cracked down on the country’s tech giants in 2021, Qu indicated that she still requires her employees to work long hours. In a video, she said that PR staff must be available 24/7 and should never go on vacation.
Many workers said the recent downturn in the tech sector and large-scale job cuts have led to long hours and intense competition. In other cases of strict practices, PDD Holdings has tracked down and sued former employees who violated non-compete agreements, while social media group Kuaishou has begun firing employees over 35.
Baidu, in particular, has struggled to reinvent itself as its search advertising business falters and bets on other areas of its business fail. The group has recently turned its full attention to artificial intelligence and is trying to become China’s answer to OpenAI.
By Thursday, Qu had removed the videos from her Douyin account and apologized. She said she had “seriously read people’s opinions and reviews” and would “think deeply about it.”
“I sincerely apologize that my videos have caused outside misunderstandings about Baidu’s values and culture,” she wrote on social media.
Amid the controversy, another video spread on Chinese social media showing Qu dealing with a negative article from the South China Morning Post newspaper.
The clip shows a paper doll hanging in Baidu’s offices with four red knives pointed at “SCMP” on its chest. Qu is seen hitting the doll with a rope.
Baidu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.