FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 53 YEARS, THE KNICKS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS 🏆
New York defeats San Antonio 4-1 in the NBA Finals, capturing their third championship in franchise history!
Baidu’s PR department needs some crisis management right about now.
Qu Jing, Baidu’s VP of PR, made controversial and out-of-touch remarks, sparking a public outcry in China. Her insensitive comments included disregard for employees’ family circumstances and threats of professional retaliation. These videos went viral—which she posted at will on her social media— led to a broader discussion on the appropriateness of her behavior and its reflection on Baidu's corporate culture on the Chinese internet.
This incident caused Baidu's stock prices to tumble and raised questions about the impact of executives' personal brands on their companies. She also mentioned receiving hundreds of complaint letters from her colleagues, which she dismissed as slanderous. She threatened to ruin the careers of those who complained.
Fun fact: a Baidu headhunter recently approached me for an International PR Director role for AI, reporting directly to this Baidu VP. This VP doesn’t speak English, so she wants to hire someone fluent in Mandarin, not a white person (Ivy: this was verbatim), based overseas but will move back to China.
The VP will manage Baidu’s global AI communications portfolio with the help of this new hire. The job description was fascinating and included language like:
“Elevate the company’s strategic business and executives’ thought leadership to secure positive coverage in top-tier foreign media. Strive for positive comments with global influence to create ‘ammunition’ for repurposing in China-based content distribution.”
Of the few brief exchanges, there were red flags all around. But Baidu, since you might need a new PR or some crisis control services now😂, call me maybe🎶.
Reputation management rule #1: All external-facing communication matters. Maybe don’t make your JD sound like the battleground. And don’t hire a PR that becomes your biggest crisis.