Fired, will never be rehired: Alibaba on manager accused of sexual assault

Alibaba Group Holding has fired a manager accused of rape, moving to contain the fallout after an employee’s account of her ordeal went viral on social media and ignited fierce debate about rampant sexism across China’s tech industry.

The Chinese internet giant didn’t identify the manager. Li Yonghe, appointed just last month to lead a newly created division overseeing much of Alibaba’s non-retail businesses from food delivery to travel, has resigned alongside his human resources chief for mishandling the incident. The sexual assault allegations, first reported by the employee on Aug. 2, have unearthed systemic challenges with the company’s mechanisms, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang said in an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News.