China's Social Media Giant Weibo Corp's PR director, Mao Taotao, was arrested by the authorities after he was suspected of bribery. A local Chinese media outlet reported the arrest after confirmation from a company source.
According to an internal memo sent to the staff and authorities, Mao has been held accountable for causing "serious harm to the interest of the company". As per company policy and the law, Mao will be fired from the company and will not be re-hired, the memo states. The memo also mentioned Mao's arrest by Chinese authorities.
Weibo, Sina's microblogging site, was launched in 2009, which is now one of the biggest social media platforms in China.
According to the memo, Mao joined Weibo in 2010 and within a short span of time rose up the ranks heights showing his skills through the marketing and PR department. However, being a longtime employee of the company and a leading member of an important department, he failed to act as a role model. Further updates on Mao's arrest are yet to be received from the authorities.
In the last few years, Chinese tech companies have doubled down on corruption investigations amid an anti-graft campaign by President Xi Jinping, and their valuations and profiles have soared, following a tech boom. However, this has also often backfired.
Alibaba Group, the part-owner of Weibo, has also drew criticism for delaying action against sexual harassment against one of its employees by her manager and a client. There is no such evidence to prove that these two incidents are linked.
Earlier, two major tech companies had come under suspicion for corruption by their prime executive employees. There has also been pressure on China's property, gaming, and private education sectors as well.
