
Xiaomi executive’s joke about his smartphone’s camera cost him over $14,000
Chang Cheng was trying to be funny about the Xiaomi Mi 10 Youth camera, but it backfired
Xiaomi has a new version of its flagship phone. And one of the company’s executives decided to celebrate the launch of the Mi 10 Youth by making a sexist joke.
On Friday, Xiaomi vice president Chang Cheng posted a list of jokes to Weibo on how to use the Mi 10 Youth, which includes a new camera capable of 5x zoom. But one of them didn’t sit well with users.
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“Behind every pretty dolled-up woman in the girls' dormitory, there is a (๑> ؎<๑) room.”

The joke, which was interpreted as a suggestion to stalk and secretly take pictures of female students, drew a flood of negative comments. Most criticized Cheng’s attempt of humor as “vulgar” and lacking respect towards women. It also turned out to be a bad look for Xiaomi, as the executive’s name turned into a hashtag drawing millions of views on Weibo.
“I'm really wrong and I accept all the criticism,” the executive told his followers.
“Many would speculate whether they were recruited by Baidu just because they have pretty faces,” he said. “It’s not true. They were quite ugly before joining us. Later, after being influenced by us, their face scores have largely improved.
