Baidu employee dies suddenly after working 4 months, controversy over whether it's karoshi (death from overwork)

Baidu Employee's Sudden Death: Final Weibo Post Expresses Exhaustion

The deceased, a recent graduate of Sun Yat-sen University who had only been working at Baidu for four months, has sparked debate over whether his death was due to overwork.

Having graduated from Sun Yat-sen University just this June, Lin Haitao subsequently became a technical R&D staff member for "Baidu Maps." Tragically, after only four months on the job, he recently passed away due to heart failure. The cause of Lin Haitao's death has led to much speculation among netizens. According to his Weibo posts prior to his death, Lin worked tirelessly, once going 48 hours without sleep or rest. Many netizens have directly pointed out that his death was due to "overwork." However, Baidu has not yet reached a conclusion, stating that the specific cause of death is still under investigation.

Final Weibo Post Expresses Exhaustion

"You continue forward, always heading west, never looking back; we will meet again in another place." On the evening before, this Weibo post mourning the death of Lin Haitao, a Sun Yat-sen University graduate who passed away on November 14th, went viral among students of Sun Yat-sen University.

After contacting the Weibo user who posted it, it was learned that Lin Haitao was from Zhuhai and entered the Information Science and Technology School of Sun Yat-sen University to study information security in 2007. This year, in early months, he interned at Baidu Company and officially joined Baidu Online Network Technology Co., Ltd. in July after graduation.

Recently, Lin Haitao traveled to Shanghai for a vacation. His Weibo username "xt3000" posted on November 12th at 8:42 PM: "I got lost and walked several kilometers, utterly exhausted but finally made it back to the inn." However, one day later, on the morning of November 14th, when his traveling companion came to wake him up, they found that he had already stopped breathing. The hospital initially diagnosed his death as sudden heart failure.

According to Lin’s classmates and close friends, the deceased wasn’t just a "tech guy," but also an avid anime and gaming enthusiast, having founded an anime club during high school. This trip to Shanghai was also for attending the Independent Game Developers Conference held in Shanghai from November 12th to 14th, 2011.

48 Hours Without Sleep Not Forced Overtime?

Many onlookers online believe that Lin Haitao died due to excessive work pressure and long-term all-night overtime shifts. Evidence includes multiple mentions in his Weibo posts of "all-nighter," "tired," and "exhausted." Some netizens even criticized Baidu through a Weibo post from July where Lin mentioned, "I haven't slept for almost 48 hours," accusing the company of being a sweatshop.

However, some of Lin’s friends revealed to reporters that Lin did not die from being overworked by the pressures of his job. "He was someone who loved coding; half of his life was voluntarily dedicated to programming," said one friend. Another insider pointed out that Lin's 48-hour stretch without sleep was related to the first Beijing Game Creation Festival, not due to being forced to work overtime by his boss.

Baidu: Lin Died During Vacation

Yesterday, the reporter contacted Baidu Corporation, where a staff member confirmed that Lin Haitao was a research and development technician who had worked in Beijing for four months. He recently passed away while on vacation in Shanghai. However, the specifics are still awaiting a response from the PR department. Calls to the company's PR department were unanswered until press time. Nevertheless, yesterday afternoon, a PR manager of Baidu posted on Weibo: "A colleague at Baidu unexpectedly passed away in Shanghai on November 14th during a vacation. The exact cause is still under investigation..."

An HR representative from Baidu also expressed support on Weibo, saying, "Lin Haitao's death must have other reasons; employees who have worked at Baidu for more than ten years are all fine."

IT Industry Becomes a High-Risk Area for Sudden Deaths?

February 25, 2006: Zhang Dong, deputy director of the Dalian Development Center of Neusoft Group's Embedded Software Division, died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 36.

December 15, 2005: Li Qingping, former General Manager of IBM Greater China Region Government and Public Affairs Division, passed away at the age of 46 due to sudden cardio-pulmonary failure.

September 18, 2005: Sun Dei, acting CEO of NetEase, died at the age of 38 due to illness.

April 8, 2004: Yang Mai, President of Ericsson (China) Limited at the age of 54, died suddenly in the fitness room.

May 28, 2006: Hu Xinyu, a researcher at Huawei Technologies in Shenzhen, was diagnosed dead from viral encephalitis at the young age of 25.