Baidu govt tells team of workers: ‘I’m now not your mum’

Keep knowledgeable with loose updatesSimply signal as much as the Chinese language trade & finance myFT Digest — delivered at once in your inbox.The pinnacle of public family members at Chinese language seek massive Baidu has created her personal PR disaster after posting a number of movies on social media demeaning team of workers, in the newest instance of the on occasion brutal place of work practices in China’s tech sector.“I will make you jobless on this trade,” mentioned Baidu vice-president Qu Jing in a single video. She added she wanted workers devoted sufficient to do 50 instantly days of commercial trip at her aspect and didn’t care if it affected their non-public lives. “I’m now not your mum,” she mentioned. “I best care about effects.”Qu additionally mentioned she was once so dedicated to Baidu that she was once blind to her son’s magnificence 12 months in class.The chief posted the movies on Douyin, the Chinese language model of TikTok, intending the clips to function examples to her crew of learn how to use social media to advertise Baidu. As a substitute, they have got reignited complaint of the place of work tradition at Chinese language tech firms.“Staff won’t ever really feel at house at an organization that doesn’t have even a bit bit of heat,” wrote one consumer at the social media platform Weibo, on which Qu’s feedback are trending. As of Thursday, the dialogue had drawn 150mn perspectives and a former worker mentioned Qu was once now not with the corporate, echoing reporting in Chinese language media shops. Baidu didn’t straight away reply to a request for remark.“She sought after to create an ‘iron woman’ symbol, however the context has modified,” mentioned unbiased tech columnist Wang Qingrui. “Now other folks don’t accept as true with the good judgment of the ones in energy.“She isn’t just representing herself within the movies, but in addition Baidu’s tradition and values,” he added. “This deepens Baidu’s symbol issues.”Qu’s feedback have additionally revived issues over running stipulations. The lengthy hours steadily anticipated of tech workers are referred to as “996” — which means they begin paintings at 9am, go away at 9pm and paintings six days per week.Whilst there was once some growth after Beijing cracked down at the nation’s tech giants in 2021, Qu indicated she nonetheless demanded lengthy hours from her team of workers. In a single video, she mentioned PR workers had to be to be had 24 hours an afternoon and may by no means move on vacation.Many workers within the trade have reported the hot tech sector slowdown and large-scale task cuts had revived long hours amid intense pageant. In different circumstances of tricky practices, PDD Holdings has tracked and sued former workers who violate non-compete agreements, whilst social media workforce Kuaishou has begun to push out team of workers above the age of 35.Baidu has been suffering to reinvent itself as its seek ad trade has stalled and bets on different trade traces have arise brief. The gang has not too long ago long gone all in on synthetic intelligence, vying to be China’s resolution to OpenAI.Really usefulBy way of Thursday, Qu had got rid of the movies from her Douyin account and apologised, pronouncing she had “earnestly learn peoples’ reviews and criticisms” and would “deeply mirror” on them.“I sincerely apologise that my movies have led to exterior misunderstandings about Baidu’s values and tradition,” she wrote on social media.Amid the talk, every other video unfold on Chinese language social media appearing Qu coping with a destructive article from the South China Morning Put up newspaper.The clip presentations a paper doll hung up in Baidu’s places of work with 4 pink knives pointed at “SCMP” written throughout its chest. Qu is observed whipping the doll with a rope.

Author: OpenAI