Short videos give long headache to Baidu

China's online search service provider Baidu has attracted widespread attention of social media users in China for the wrong reasons.

One of its senior public relations executives, who has since reportedly quit her job, has stirred up a PR crisis of sorts by posting online what turned out to be highly controversial content endorsing brutal or toxic workplace culture.

Qu Jing, the former vice-president and head of communications at Baidu, posted a series of short videos last week on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, claiming that the relationship between employees and the company is purely contractual.

The messages made many perceive her as a boss who cares only about the results without any consideration for employees' well-being.

One of her remarks in the videos — "Why should I take my employee's family into consideration? I'm not her mother-in-law" — went viral on social media platforms, sparking criticism that Baidu is indifferent to employee management at workplace.

Qu duly apologized on Thursday through her WeChat account."Many criticisms are very insightful. I deeply reflect (sic) on them and humbly accept them."

Qu also apologized for the discrepancies in the video which "led to misunderstandings about the company's values and corporate culture", emphasizing that she did not consult the company before releasing the videos and her opinions did not represent the company's stance.

But that did little to calm online commentators who refused to accept Qu's apologies and said they were merely a ploy to dodge responsibility.

In one of the short videos, Qu said that she had been the target of 300 whistleblower letters circulated by employees within the company. Several former Baidu employees later shared the contents of the letters on social media, which accused Qu of asking subordinates to gather information on officials from government agencies, State media outlets and major web portals.

Hu Xijin, a former editor-in-chief of Global Times, said on Friday that bosses and executives must maintain genuine humility toward their subordinates and the society at large.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn