Short videos give long headache to Baidu

China's online search service provider Baidu has attracted widespread attention of social media users in China for the wrong reasons.

One of its senior public relations executives, who has since reportedly quit her job, has stirred up a PR crisis of sorts by posting online what turned out to be highly controversial content endorsing brutal or toxic workplace culture.

Qu Jing, the former vice-president and head of communications at Baidu, posted a series of short videos last week on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, claiming that the relationship between employees and the company is purely contractual.