Rocked by sexual assault complaint, China’s Alibaba fires manager

Critics say Alibaba failed to act until the female staffer went public with her allegations on the firm’s intranet.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has fired a manager who allegedly sexually assaulted a female employee and will establish policies to prevent sexual harassment, Chief Executive Daniel Zhang said on Monday. The manager – at Alibaba’s City Retail unit, which offers grocery delivery from local supermarkets – “has been fired and will never be rehired”, Zhang said in a memo published on Alibaba’s intranet that was seen by Reuters. The man told management there were “intimate acts” with the employee when she was inebriated, Zhang said in the memo, adding that the police is investigating the matter.