DouYu CEO Chen Shaojie has reportedly disappeared and been held incommunicado for weeks amid a Chinese regulatory probe over pornography found on DouYu’s game streaming platform, echoing other tech exec detentions.
Summary
Beijing, China
Chen Shaojie, founder and CEO of popular Chinese live-streaming platform DouYu, has allegedly been held incommunicado by authorities for weeks, according to local media.
Chen, 39, has not been seen or heard from colleagues in recent weeks, per a report by Cover News. When an executive becomes incommunicado in China, it often signals they are under investigation.
The situation follows an inspection earlier this year by China’s internet watchdog, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which uncovered pornography and vulgar content on DouYu’s platform. However, CAC did not announce results or rectification measures from the inspection.
Distributing pornography is illegal in China
In 2016, streaming pioneer Wang Xin received a 3.5-year sentence for providing easy access to porn and pirated content.
Nasdaq-listed DouYu said operations remain normal but did not comment on Chen’s status. His last appearance was an August earnings call.
Chen’s unexplained disappearance echoes that of China Renaissance chairman Bao Fan this year, who also went missing and was said to be “cooperating” in a mainland investigation.
DouYu operates a leading game live-streaming platform backed by Tencent. Its $5.3B merger with rival Huya was blocked last year amid Beijing’s antitrust crackdown.
Chen’s situation signals potential legal jeopardy for DouYu’s chief amid China’s renewed focus on cleaning up online content.
