Chinese tech executive fired after endorsing toxic work culture on social media

NEW DELHI: Qu Jing, the former vice president and head of communications at Baidu, China's counterpart to Google, has been ousted following a backlash over her public endorsement of a rigorous workplace culture. Her remarks, which sparked widespread outrage among young workers in China, highlighted deep-seated issues within the tech industry regarding work-life balance and employee treatment.
As per a CNN report, Qu Jing came under fire after a series of videos posted on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, revealed her stringent management style and lack of empathy towards employees' personal circumstances. In one notable video, Qu rebuked an employee for not wanting to undertake a 50-day business trip during strict Covid-19 travel restrictions, stating, "Why should I take my employee’s family into consideration? I’m not her mother-in-law."
Her blunt comments about her personal sacrifices, such as forgetting her elder son's birthday due to work commitments, and demanding employees to be available 24/7, intensified the public outcry. "If you work in public relations, don’t expect weekends off," she asserted in another video, emphasizing the relentless demands placed on her team.
The backlash was swift and fierce, with netizens and media pundits criticizing Qu for promoting an unhealthy work environment synonymous with the controversial "996" working hour system—9 am to 9 pm, six days a week—previously endorsed by figures like Alibaba’s Jack Ma. Ivy Yang, a tech analyst, observed, "A lot of what she said really struck a nerve, because people feel that in their own workplaces very often. The fact that she said it in a way that’s so direct and in your face, it just generated this kind of emotional response."
Following the controversy, Qu was compelled to remove her executive title from her Douyin account and issued an apology on WeChat, acknowledging the insensitivity of her remarks: “I have carefully read all the opinions and comments from various platforms, and many criticisms are very pertinent. I deeply reflect on and humbly accept them.”
The incident has reignited discussions about work culture in China's tech industry, which has been notorious for its demanding expectations and the glorification of overwork. This sector has faced increasing scrutiny as employees push back against the long-standing norms of excessive work hours and the lack of work-life balance.
Baidu has not made an official statement regarding Qu's departure, and efforts to get comments from the company remained unanswered as of Thursday night. Qu’s videos have since been removed from Douyin, reflecting the severity of the backlash and the ongoing debate over corporate culture in one of the world's most dynamic technological hubs.