At an April 8 press conference to unveil IM Motors\u2019 <\/span>new L6 electric sedan<\/span><\/a>, company CEO Liu Tao enumerated the many sacrifices his workers had made, which suggested to some observers that the company\u2019s punishing schedules were likely in violation of Chinese labor laws. Backlash on Chinese social media was swift, with many commenters criticizing the glorification of overwork and proposing that consumers not buy vehicles made by a company that treats its workforce so poorly. In response to this backlash, Alibaba- and SAIC-backed IM Motors complained that it was the victim of \u201c<\/span>organized cyber-bullying<\/span><\/a>\u201d attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n
During the press conference, <\/span>Liu Tao offered these words of fulsome praise for the sacrifices his workers had made<\/strong><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n
Some of our colleagues may even have missed the birth of their own children. Others tested positive [for COVID] several times in quick succession, yet they remained on the \u201cfront lines\u201d and continued their hard work. Other colleagues steeled their hearts and sent their young children to boarding schools, and were only able to see them briefly once a week. <\/span>[<\/span>Chinese<\/strong><\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In an essay by WeChat account <\/span>@\u9ea6\u6770\u900a<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>m\u00e0iji\u00e9x\u00f9n<\/span><\/em>), which focuses on social commentary, the author was incredulous at Liu Tao\u2019s paean to his overworked employees: \u201cIn this day and age, why the hell would you think \u2018hard work\u2019 would be a big selling point for cars? <\/span>Is that your company’s only advantage\u2014the most awesome thing about your cars is that your employees \u2018work really hard?<\/span><\/a>\u2019” The essay, which framed the CEO\u2019s comments as emblematic of the chasm between struggling assembly-line workers and profit-seeking corporate elites, also included a screenshot of some online reactions to Liu Tao\u2019s speech. \u201cThis is the first time I’ve ever heard someone declare at a press conference that he violates labor laws,\u201d wrote one. Another poked fun at the <\/span>intense rivalry<\/span><\/a> between electric vehicle makers IM Motors and Xiaomi, by referencing IM Motor\u2019s self-inflicted wound: \u201cXiaomi: \u2018I didn’t touch him, I swear\u2014he just suddenly stabbed himself!\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Another essay, from WeChat account <\/span>@\u58f0\u9053<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>sh\u0113ngd\u00e0o<\/span><\/em>), delved into the background of the rivalry between Xiaomi and IM Motors, noting the many recent PR missteps and unforced errors made by IM Motors. The essay\u2019s author <\/span>took particular umbrage at CEO Liu Tao\u2019s glorification of employee suffering<\/span><\/a>, and included a <\/span>screenshot<\/span><\/a> of even more social media responses to Liu\u2019s speech. One commenter wondered, \u201cHow can state-owned enterprises be even more ruthless than capitalists?\u201d Another wrote, \u201cThis is classic \u2018old state-owned-enterprise style\u2019 fanatical devotion,\u201d to which another social media user responded, \u201cWhat he said at the press conference was obviously directed at [China\u2019s] political leaders.\u201d Other comments questioned the legality of pressuring workers who had tested positive for COVID to remain on the production lines.<\/span><\/p>\n
The controversy over Liu Tao\u2019s remarks occurs as many Chinese workers are rethinking and rebelling against the oppressive culture of overwork that has characterized much of China\u2019s high-growth period. Younger workers in particular have chafed against <\/span>brutal \u201c996\u201d work schedules<\/span><\/a> (12-hour days, six days a week), and some have responded to \u201c<\/span>involution<\/span><\/a>\u201d (burnout) by choosing to quit, downsize, or \u201c<\/span>lie flat<\/span><\/a>\u201d (slack off). <\/span>(For updated definitions and usage examples of \u201cinvolution,\u201d \u201clie flat,\u201d and over 100 popular online terms, see our recent ebook, <\/span>China Digital Times Lexicon: 20th Anniversary Edition<\/span><\/a>.) <\/span>Even now, despite numerous <\/span>court rulings against excessive \u201c996\u201d working schedules<\/span><\/a>, there are still frequent reports of young workers\u2014particularly in the <\/span>high-tech<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>medical sectors<\/span><\/a>\u2014dying of <\/span>overwork<\/span><\/a>, lack of sleep, delayed medical care, or stress-induced <\/span>despair<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![screenshot<\/span><\/a> of even more social media responses to Liu\u2019s speech. One commenter wondered, \u201cHow can state-owned enterprises be even more ruthless than capitalists?\u201d Another wrote, \u201cThis is classic \u2018old state-owned-enterprise style\u2019 fanatical devotion,\u201d to which another social media user responded, \u201cWhat he said at the press conference was obviously directed at [China\u2019s] political leaders.\u201d Other comments questioned the legality of pressuring workers who had tested positive for COVID to remain on the production lines.<\/span><\/p>\n](\"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/chinese\/files\/2024\/04\/post-706745-6617c6e39193e.png\"){kind=link}