1 of 1 Chen Shaojie, CEO of DouYu Photo: Reproduction/YouTube Chen Shaojie, CEO of DouYu Photo: Reproduction/YouTube
Chen ShaojieChairman of the board of DouYua live streaming platform powered by TencentAccording to reports from several Chinese media outlets, he disappeared three weeks ago. According to the staterun Cover News, the 39yearold CEO is being investigated by the country’s authorities for pornographic content and gambling on the platform.
As Business Insider points out, Chen’s last public appearance was in August, during DouYu’s quarterly earnings announcement. Since then, the businessman has not been seen or responded to attempts to contact the press.
A person close to Chen told the Financial Times that he was “arrested by the Public Security Department for investigations related to pornographic and gambling content” on DouYu.
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Speaking to CNN, a DouYu spokesperson said the company’s “business operations remain normal.” The spokesman added that “any important news or material activity” would be communicated “in a timely manner.”
The disappearance of executives at major companies in China is nothing new. In 2020, Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Alibaba, disappeared after the Chinese government announced some restrictions on his companies. Ma reappeared in a video in early 2021 and has since been seen hanging out in person at various locations.
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Earlier this year, investment bank China Renaissance said it was unable to contact its CEO and founder Bao Fan. A few days later, the bank said in a statement that Bao “cooperated with an investigation conducted by certain authorities in the People’s Republic of China.”
Most recently, in September, Hui Ka Yan, president of debtridden property developer Evergrande, was arrested by police after being missing for several days. According to a September 28 stock exchange filing, Hui was “subject to mandatory measures in accordance with the law on suspicion of illegal crimes.”