Pinduoduo (PDD) — the country's third largest e-commerce firm after Alibaba (BABA) and JD.com (JD) — became a target of public outrage after two of its employees unexpectedly died during the holiday season. First, a worker in her twenties collapsed in Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang region, while walking home with colleagues during the early hours of Dec. 29. The company confirmed her death, but did not disclose the cause.
Then, another worker died late last week after jumping from his 27-floor apartment in Changsha, a city in the southern Hunan province. Pinduoduo said the man had earlier asked for time off, without giving a reason, according to a company statement. "We feel profound sadness that we lost one of our employees to suicide," the company said in the statement. "We are doing everything we can to support his family and loved ones during this difficult time."
