Grieving Mother’s Firing Sparks Backlash Against Chinese Education Startup

This year, Misty Heitman began teaching Chinese kids online at night to help support her family. Early one morning in her home west of Nashville, the mother of six was logged on for class when tragedy struck. Her nine-year-old daughter, who’d been suffering migraines, died in her sleep. Heitman was heartbroken. She cancelled classes and mourned. The family ended up moving to a new house because they couldn't live with the memories.

Then things got worse. Heitman, 42, lost her job at VIPKid—though she says she told the Chinese startup what happened and was assured her job was secure. “I got an automated email marking the days I'd been out, including some that had been cleared, and saying I'd been terminated,” she says.