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Intel pulls Chinese ad featuring comedian Yang Li after it angered men – then women hit back

  • Intel has become mired in controversy after pulling an ad featuring Yang Li, known for her comedic barbs about men
  • Women asked why the US chip giant is capitulating to men in China, where feminist attitudes are on the rise

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Comedian Yang Li is cheered by women and jeered by men, who feel insulted by her sharp barbs directed at them. She was featured in a recent Intel ad in China until it pulled the video over a backlash from male netizens. Photo: YouTube / Tencent Video

After removing a laptop advertisement featuring the popular stand-up comedian Yang Li, semiconductor giant Intel is having a hard time pleasing both men and women who say the US firm is guilty of sexism – but for different reasons.

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Yang, 29, is known in China for her piercing jokes targeting men. An ad posted last Thursday to the microblogging platform Sina Weibo and Taobao, the e-commerce platform owned by Alibaba Group Holding, parent company of the South China Morning Post, played on Yang’s reputation.

“Intel has a taste for laptops that is higher than my taste for men,” Yang quipped in the video.

A backlash from male users quickly ensued, with some asking why Intel was trying to promote a laptop by insulting the very customers they believed were more likely to purchase the product. Others called for a boycott.

By Sunday, Intel had removed the ad, but that did not quell the controversy. Women charged Intel with appeasing fragile male egos.

03:10

Norah Yang: introducing stand-up comedy to China

Norah Yang: introducing stand-up comedy to China

Arguments erupted under the latest post on Intel China’s Weibo account, attracting 23,000 comments – much higher than previous posts that rarely hit 100 comments.

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