Chinese AI Developer Punishes Staff Who Took Long Lunch Breaks
- Anhui-based iFlytek competes with Baidu in AI translation
- Scores of AI firms are fighting for the top spot in China
Iflytek Co.'s offices in Guangzhou, China.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A top Chinese AI developer punished scores of staff who took a longer lunch break than allowed, reviving memories of the relentless work culture that plagued the country’s tech sector years ago.
IFlytek Co. this week fired off a companywide memo upbraiding more than a hundred employees it accused of abandoning their workstations to line up for free chicken lunches at the campus cafeteria. As a disciplinary measure, those who took more than the allotted hour will get a “C” review rating, according to a copy of the memo that was posted online and verified by a company representative.