Baidu’s public relations head steps down after eye-popping remarks on work culture spark controversy in China

Baidu’s public relations chief Qu Jing has left the Chinese internet search giant after her comments endorsing an intense workplace culture sparked a public backlash, according to people familiar with the matter and local media reports.

The firm’s internal system shows that Qu, a vice-president, has departed from her position, according to employees who declined to be named because they are not authorised to speak to the media.

Chinese tech outlet 36Kr first reported on Qu’s exit.

Baidu did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Qu Jing, public relations head at Baidu, has left her position after a public backlash over her controversial comments. Photo: Qu Jing/Douyin

The Beijing-based company on the same day published on its public WeChat account an internal speech by Cui Shanshan, senior vice-president in charge of human resources and administrative functions, condemning damaging work practices that she said are common in Big Tech firms, including “working overtime to show a [positive] working attitude”.

This comes after Qu posted a series of short videos on Douyin, the Chinese sibling of TikTok, in which she said she had no obligation to care about her staff’s well-being, and criticised one of her subordinates for refusing to go on a 50-day business trip during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Why would I take the employee’s family into consideration? I am not her mother-in-law,” Qu said in one of the videos. “I’m not your mother either. I only care about results, and our relationship is based on work.”

In another video, Qu said a public relations professional should not expect any time off and should “always be ready to respond” on their phone 24 hours a day. She also said in one clip that she had the power to make sure employees who complained about her “won’t find another job in the industry”.

Those videos can no longer be found on her account.

Qu on Thursday posted an apology on her public Douyin account and private WeChat account, saying that she sincerely accepted the criticisms and would improve her management style.

Qu also noted that her videos “do not represent Baidu’s stance” and that she did not seek the company’s permission before posting them. She apologised for “creating misunderstanding on the company’s values and culture”.

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