Chinese executive says she is not responsible for employees’ well-being: ‘I’m not your mother’

Qu Jing stepped down from his role as vice president and head of communications at Baidu following comments that praised toxic work culture

The executive Qu Jing left his position as vice president and head of communications at Baidua Chinese technology company similar to the Google search engine Googleafter extolling the company’s toxic work culture in four videos shared on a Chinese social network. “I’m not your mother”said the executive when explaining that she had no responsibility for the well-being of employees.

In the first video, she also criticized employees who refused to go on long business trips, stating that she had “no obligation to know if employees are crying” and no obligation “to consider employees’ families as I am not their mother ”. “If you are not satisfied with your work, you can quit. I will approve it immediately,” she stated.

In another excerpt, she even reported that she already forgot her eldest son’s birthday and the grade in which her youngest son studies due to her devotion to work, as she “chose to become a career woman”.

“If you work in public relations, don’t expect weekends off. Keep your phone on 24 hours a day, always ready to respond,” she reported.

The comments were not well received and Qu he even apologized for the controversy. “I have carefully read all the opinions and comments on various platforms, and many criticisms are very pertinent. I reflect deeply and humbly accept them,” Qu wrote in a WeChat post.

According to CNN International and the Economic Reviewthe apology was not enough and Qu stepped down as vice president and head of communications at Baidu.