Hi there. It’s Brady again.
If you’re reading this, then you’ve been following our coverage of the alleged rape committed by a former Alibaba manager. You probably also read about how sexually explicit “ice-breaker” games were part of the orientation process for some new hires of the company.
Police in Jinan have cut the suspect loose. There wasn’t enough evidence for a rape or “forced indecency” charge, so they placed him under administrative detention for 15 days, and then that was that. Jiaxing provided a summary yesterday.
Alibaba said it now has a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct, but we’ve seen those motions before.
This latest development was a trending topic on Weibo, so people do care about the matter. But I’m not sure if this bruises Alibaba’s image. Two months from now, for instance, will people think twice before loading up their baskets for Singles’ Day?
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