Chinese video platform Bilibili denies death of 25-year-old employee was the result of overwork
- The employee, who worked in the content monitoring department, died last Friday from a cerebral haemorrhage, Bilibili said in an internal letter
- The death has renewed debate about the unhealthy work culture in China’s tech sector, known for its high pressure and long working hours
Chinese video-sharing platform operator Bilibili said in an internal letter on Monday that the sudden death of a young employee was not caused by working overtime.
In an internal letter seen by the South China Morning Post, Bilibili said an employee working in the photo and text auditing department of the content security centre, the in-house unit which monitors content uploaded by users, died on Friday.
The employee felt uncomfortable at home during the afternoon and was sent to a local hospital for emergency treatment, according to the letter. His supervisor, manager and Bilibili’s human resources director went to the hospital after he was admitted, but the employee passed away at about 8pm due to a cerebral haemorrhage.
In the internal letter, the company denied online rumours that the death was caused by overwork.
“According to an internal attendance check, he came and left work at normal hours from 9.30am to 6.30pm, he had 5 working days and took two days off,” the letter said.
“There were no circumstances where he did over time a week before the incident. We have set up a special task team and have been working with the police and his relatives to settle the case.”