Baidu PR Head Qu Jing Resigns, Stock Drops 2.17% After Endorsing 24/7 Work Culture

May 10, 2024, 01:20 AM

Baidu's head of public relations, Qu Jing, has resigned following a controversy over a series of now-deleted videos she posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. In these videos, Jing endorsed a 24/7 work culture and made light of staff wellbeing, which sparked significant public backlash and criticism of the tech industry's intense '996' work culture. Her comments, including statements like 'Keep your phone on 24 hours a day' and 'I'm not your mum,' led to a 2.17% drop in Baidu's stock prices. The backlash was intensified by her threatening to destroy workers' careers, which culminated in her departure from the company. Following the incident, the PR executive issued an apology for her comments.