Didi Chuxing co-founder leaves chairman position at payment subsidiary as cybersecurity review drags on

Bob Zhang Bo, co-founder and chief technology officer of Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, has left his position as chairman of Didi’s payment subsidiary while the parent company remains under a cybersecurity investigation at home and is in the process of delisting from the New York Stock Exchange.

Zhang, a Didi co-founder, was no longer listed as the chairman of Didi Payment on Monday, according to information on corporate registry service Tianyancha. He had been in the position since January 2019.

The reasons for the change remain unclear, as Didi has not issued a public statement about it and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move comes six months after the Cyberspace Administration of China launched its investigation into the company, which remains ongoing. That news came days after its stock started trading in New York.

Didi Payment was founded in 2010, with a registered capital of 300 million yuan (US$47 million), to provide payment services for the company’s ride-hailing users in China.

Zhang’s other roles at Didi include leading its autonomous driving business since August 2019 and heading product development, technology and data analytics frameworks, according to corporate information. Prior to joining the ride-hailing firm, he was a senior technology leader at internet search giant Baidu.