Pinduoduo faces backlash over employee’s death

The ecommerce company reported that last week, the employee had passed out while on her way home from work. The 23-year-old couldn’t be resuscitated and died despite receiving nearly six hours of first aid, the report noted. The incident has led to a social media uproar, with people condemning Pinduoduo and the harsh working schedule it enforces on its employees.

The Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau has commenced an investigation into the company, reviving concerns over the brutal work culture of tech companies that follow the “996” schedule, which has employees working from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week.

Reaction to the employee’s death further intensified on social media platforms after her demise was downplayed in a post on the Quora-like Zhihu service, which was made by an alleged contractor for Pinduoduo. It stated that all people from the bottom rungs of society exchange their lives for money. After initially claiming that the post was fake, the company later issued an apology, saying it was uploaded without authorization.

State-controlled China Central Television has also voiced its opposition toward trading human life for profit and called for organizations to step up regulations to protect workers.