One of Airbnb’s most senior executives has stepped down after just four months in his new role amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship with another employee.
Hong Ge, who was VP of the firm’s China operations, told colleagues he was leaving for another job but Bloomberg reported that his departure was actually the result of a workplace romance.
“It’s a very tough decision for me to leave behind all of what we have built together. But hey, it’s a small world,” Ge wrote to staff. “I will still be in the internet industry. I’m sure our paths will cross again in the future.”
Nick Papas, a spokesman for Airbnb, confirmed Ge’s departure but declined to comment further. CEO Brian Chesky also offered a brief response and said Ge was “stepping down to pursue opportunities outside of Airbnb.”
The resignation is likely to cause problems for Airbnb as the firm struggled since 2015 to find a business chief for China – Ge, a former software engineer, was eventually recruited in June.
While workplace relationships are discouraged or outright banned by some organisations, a number of studies have suggested office romances are actually incredibly common.
One 2015 poll by research firm Harris Interactive found that 38 per cent of workers have dated a co-worker at least once during the course of their career. A further 17 per cent admitted doing so at least twice.
Of those who had engaged in an office romance, 31 per cent said the relationship led to marriage, 28 per cent said they’d dated someone above them in the company hierarchy and 18 per cent said they’d dated their own boss.
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