Radar Finance Exclusive | By Xiao Sa, Edited by Deep Sea
On May 7th, the topic "Baidu Vice President Claims Employees Resigning Like Breaking Up, I Approve Instantly" trended on Weibo.
According to reports, during the May Day holiday, an account claiming to be Baidu's Vice President Xu Jing started posting videos on social media, amassing 960,000 followers. In the first video, Xu Jing mentioned handling employee resignations like a breakup, questioning the need to consider an employee's family.
Public opinion on this matter varied. Some believed that emotional value is unnecessary in workplace relationships, while others criticized the approach as being too blunt. Comments ranged from "What kind of management is this? It's just too rough" to "It makes sense, but it seems cold-hearted. Regular employees might not accept it."
By noon on May 7th, the video titled "Employees Resigning Like Breaking Up, I Approve Instantly" on the Douyin account "I am Xu Jing" from May 6th had disappeared, leaving only three other videos. As the situation escalated, all videos on the account vanished in the afternoon.
As Baidu's top PR representative, Xu Jing responded to netizens by stating that short videos are fundamental to public relations. However, amidst the controversy, some self-media outlets questioned whether Xu Jing's account had artificially inflated followers and engagement, rather than organically gaining a million followers in five days.
Looking back, Baidu's PR has faced numerous challenges, from the early Wei Zexi incident and Zhang Zixin incident to last year's controversy over the autonomous driving test vehicle's alleged hit-and-run incident, sparking repeated controversies in their crisis management.
Vice President Xu Jing's Controversial Short Videos
In the current internet landscape, search giant Baidu does not dominate the live streaming and short video sectors. However, during the live streaming boom, Baidu made attempts in this field.
On November 16, 2020, Baidu announced a $3.6 billion deal to acquire Joyy's domestic video entertainment live streaming business, with the transaction expected to be completed in the first half of 2021.
Due to the pandemic in 2020, the live streaming industry experienced significant growth. Baidu made several moves in this sector, including launching live streaming features on Baijiahao, establishing a live streaming business center, and investing billions to support content creators.
YY Live, a mature platform, was a strategic piece in Baidu's plans. Baidu's founder, chairman, and CEO, Robin Li, mentioned in financial reports that YY Live would benefit from Baidu's vast traffic and thriving mobile ecosystem. Baidu, in turn, would gain real-time operational experience, large-scale video-based social media development technology, and an enviable creator network.
However, the subsequent developments did not align with Robin Li's vision. The deal between Baidu and YY Live faced challenges. On the first day of 2024, Baidu officially announced the termination of the partnership with YY Live.
Simultaneously, traffic in the live streaming industry further concentrated on leading platforms, with Douyin, Kuaishou, and WeChat Video Accounts emerging as the ultimate winners. Reports surfaced about layoffs in Baidu's mobile ecosystem business group's live streaming department.
While Baidu missed out on a significant share of the live streaming industry, Robin Li occasionally made appearances in live streams. On April 15, during a live stream with Xia Yiping, CEO of Jue Yue, Robin Li discussed topics like autonomous vehicles and large-scale models.
However, compared to the massive traffic generated by figures like Lei Jun, Zhou Hongyi, Yin Tongyue, and Wei Jianjun, Robin Li's live streams garnered less attention. Despite this, Baidu seemed determined not to give up. Shortly after, Xu Jing, self-proclaimed "Baidu Vice President and Top PR," began creating short videos.
Public information indicates that Xu Jing graduated from the Foreign Affairs College, worked as a journalist at the Xinhua News Agency's Central News Interview Center, served as Vice President of Public and Government Affairs at Huawei after leaving the media, and was the Director of China Media Affairs. In August 2021, she joined Baidu as Vice President of Public Relations, overseeing the group's public communication department.
In response to questions about finding time to record Douyin videos, Xu Jing candidly stated, "This is one of my duties. My job is public relations, and short videos are fundamental."
Of note, media reports revealed that Xu Jing, under the persona of a female executive, shared her views on the workplace on Douyin. In her first video, she bluntly mentioned "Employees Resigning Like Breaking Up, I Approve Instantly," emphasizing that the relationship with employees is purely professional, with no obligation to understand their personal lives, stating, "Why should I consider an employee's family? I'm not their mother-in-law..."
In the second video titled "300 Complaint Letters Covering My Desk," Xu Jing disclosed that upon joining Baidu as Vice President, she was bombarded with 300 complaint letters from the wives of her subordinates.
"Don't use those low tactics against me; I will have my lawyer sue you." Xu Jing claimed that upon starting her role as Baidu's Vice President, her desk was filled with 300 complaint letters, most of which contained slander and fabrications, aiming to drive her away. She criticized this as a despicable tactic, questioning whether the perpetrators intended to continue working in such an environment.
Perhaps realizing that these contents were not suitable for public viewing, the video was promptly taken down. Based on screenshots circulating online, the other three contents were respectively "Who earns more pays the bill," "PR people have no holidays during the Spring Festival weekend," and "The biggest regret of career women towards their families."
After media reports, the topic of "Baidu Vice President says employees causing trouble when breaking up and resigning, I approve instantly" hit the hot search list, sparking heated discussions among netizens. However, most netizens believe that the aloof image of Qu Jing and the controversial content have had a negative impact on Baidu's brand image, even leading to negative public opinion, as seen from the comments.
Some media comments point out that companies cannot just enjoy the utility value provided by employees without bearing the emotional burden generated by them. As more and more young people who value emotional worth and personal feelings become the main force in the workplace, supporting cold remarks like "employees causing trouble when breaking up and resigning should be approved instantly," "no obligation to understand personal situations," and "no need to consider employees' families" will only invite criticism from the post-2000s generation about reforming the workplace.
Furthermore, controversies surrounding Qu Jing's Douyin account allegedly purchasing others' accounts and fan data have also sparked widespread debates. As of the afternoon of May 7th, the content on the Douyin account "我是璩（qú）静" has been cleared.
Numerous "PR blunders" in Baidu's public relations history
Looking back at Baidu's "PR blunders," the crisis-ridden year of 2016 stands out as a turbulent period.
During that year, from the Hemophilia Bar incident to cracking down on piracy in Tieba, and then the Wei Zexi incident, Baidu remained at the center of public opinion storms.
In July of that year, Baidu's public relations deliberately launched a public account named "这届百度公关" (This Generation's Baidu PR), with a self-deprecating introduction stating, "We are the Baidu PR team that everyone thinks is not doing well." However, "This Generation's Baidu PR" has not been updated since October 2017.
Of note, when asked how to handle the Wei Zexi incident from that year, Qu Jing responded to a netizen in the Douyin video comments:
Firstly, no two PR crises are the same in the world. Applying today's experiences to past crises is meaningless and incomparable.
Secondly, in crisis management, actions (actually solving the problem) are often more critical than words (such as issuing statements). Resolving issues requires a comprehensive analysis of the parties involved and their interests and demands. Without firsthand information and the core demands, judgment cannot be made.
Lastly, the most crucial aspect of crisis management is to rely on real-time data (just like a doctor would ask you to undergo tests first when treating an illness). The content channels, dissemination speed, and platforms for public opinion all need to be assessed dynamically. After an 8-year gap, it is not appropriate to make hasty comments; it's unfair.
If years ago Baidu's PR self-deprecation was like saying, "This generation of Baidu PR isn't doing well," in the 2019 "Zhang Zixin" incident, Baidu had to take responsibility for its negligence.
On July 13th of that year, the Xiangshan County Public Security Bureau issued a notice: through criminal investigation technology, the body of a girl found in the Shipu Sea area of Xiangshan County in the afternoon was confirmed to be Zhang Zixin, a missing girl from Chun'an County, Hangzhou.
However, before the police confirmed the identity of the body, a Baidu account claiming to be "Zhang Zixin's father" had already posted "condolences."
According to Southern Metropolis Daily, starting from July 10th, this self-media account had published 8 articles, with over 100 million views on the platform. At the same time, another self-media account named "Zhang Zixin's mother" posted one article.
Soon, there were doubts raised that the updates from the Baidu account claiming to be "Zhang Zixin's father" were not written by Zhang's actual father. Media contacted Zhang Zixin's father, who denied being involved in the posts.
However, Baidu News responded that the Baidu account of "Zhang Zixin's father" was confirmed by the person himself, and the account being fake was not true. The situation took a turn when, after an internal investigation by Baidu News, it was confirmed that the latest "condolences" post was published without confirmation from Zhang Zixin's father and the responsible editor was fired.
In July 2023, a Weibo influencer uploaded a video of a self-driving car accident involving a vehicle from Baidu's Apollo autonomous driving service platform "Luobo Kuai Pao." The self-driving car, while changing lanes, scraped against another vehicle in motion. After the collision, the self-driving car paused briefly before leaving the scene.
Subsequently, Baidu stated to the blogger that "the accident involved very minor contact between the vehicles' tires, which was promptly handled, and an agreement was reached with the driver, with no issues related to fleeing."
However, this statement from Baidu was questioned by netizens as being "publicly deceptive."
The former PR head of Xiaopeng Motors also had a PR mishap
Xu Jing is not the only PR head who has had a PR mishap.
In January this year, it was reported by the media that in Xiaopeng Motors' latest organizational restructuring, the former PR media head, Xu Jing, was reassigned to work on corporate branding. Previously, there were reports criticizing Xiaopeng Motors for expelling media personnel who were asking questions at the Guangzhou Auto Show. Xiaopeng's PR director, Xu Jing, responded to the media by saying, "I didn't invite him, after all, he can't even understand financial reports."
Later, Xu Jing explained that she did not intend to confront the media or engage in any argument. At that time, the media had gone to the investor relations (IR) session in the afternoon at the auto show, which was not under the PR responsibility, and she was unaware that he was asked to leave by IR.
Some analysts point out that major companies often experience PR mishaps for various reasons. Firstly, some companies may rely too heavily on traditional marketing strategies, neglecting the impact of social responsibility and consumer sentiment, leading to marketing mishaps becoming a common occurrence.
Secondly, companies may mishandle crises by failing to communicate effectively with the public in a timely manner. Adopting an attitude of avoidance or denial after a crisis not only fails to solve the problem but may also worsen the public's negative perception.
Lastly, an important factor is that a company's culture and values may deviate from the expectations of modern society. In the digital age, consumers pay more attention to a company's social responsibility and sustainable development goals. If a company performs poorly in these areas, even if it excels in other business areas, it may suffer significant damage due to a PR crisis.
