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- The company denied a new mom's request to work remotely while she cared for her premature newborn in the NICU, according to two apology videos made by Kyte Baby founder Ying Liu. As customers vow to boycott, Kyte tells TODAY.com in a statement that the employee has "declined" their offer to return to the company.
www.today.com/parents/moms/kyte-baby-controversy-rcna134735
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- Overview
- What Kyte Baby said
- What Marissa says
- The aftermath: Marissa’s not going back
The woman at the heart of the Kyte Baby controversy is speaking out exclusively to TODAY.com.
Marissa says she was fired from the popular babywear company while her newborn son was in the NICU.
Her firing went viral after Kyte Baby founder Ying Liu posted two apology videos on TikTok, saying she made a “terrible mistake” in how she treated the new mom.
“It was never my intention to quit — I was willing to work from the NICU!” Marissa, 26, tells TODAY.com in her first media interview. “ I did tell them, ‘This is a slap in the face ... My child is fighting for his life.’”
TODAY.com is withholding Marissa’s last name to protect her privacy.
Last week, Ying Liu, the founder of Kyte Baby, a Texas-based company that sells infant clothing made with bamboo, issued two apologies on TikTok, explaining that she rejected Marissa’s remote-work request while her adoptive newborn son was in the NICU. The first video got 2.8 million views and the second got 6 million views, and the controversy resonated with many viewers who empathized with Marissa’s struggle as the mom of a newborn in corporate America.
Marissa’s story broke into the public sphere on Jan. 18, when Kyte Baby founder Ying Liu made a public apology to Marissa in a video posted on the company TikTok account.
“Hey guys, it’s Ying. I wanted to hop on here to sincerely apologize to Marissa for how her parental leave was communicated and handled in the midst of her incredible journey of adoption and starting a family,” Liu said in the footage with more than two million views. “I have been trying to reach out to her to apologize directly as well.”
The founder said, “It was my oversight that she didn’t feel supported as we always have intended. As offered to her originally, we would find her a position whenever she decides to return to work.”
Liu stated that she would review Kyte’s HR policies and wished Marissa well.
TikTokers accused Liu of scrambling for damage control.
Liu revised her apology in a second TikTok video that day.
Marissa says she and her husband spent three years trying to conceive using reproductive assistance such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). After three miscarriages, the couple pursued adoption and last year, they became parents to a baby boy named Judah who was born prematurely at 22 weeks.
Marissa shared with Liu that she and her husband were exploring adoption, a Kyte spokesperson says, adding that Liu anonymously contributed $1,000 to Marissa’s GoFundMe campaign.
While Judah was in the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital located approximately nine hours from her home and Kyte Baby’s office, Marissa says she alerted Liu and other managers, then went to see her baby.
Marissa says that in a Jan. 5 video call (which Liu didn’t attend), she and two higher-ups established her new, remote schedule.
“We set up my entire schedule hour-by-hour and even set check-in dates going forward.” Marissa adds, “I was under the impression we were creating a new schedule based on what had already been discussed and approved.”
After the call, says Marissa, she realized that she had questions about Kyte Baby’s maternity leave policy. Marissa was concerned about her eligibility, and noted that the version she had been provided of Kyte Baby’s policy only applied to biological parents.
Liu’s TikTok apologies took Marissa by surprise, in part because she doesn’t use the platform.
Marissa says Liu attempted to reach her by phone twice. When they couldn’t connect because Marissa was with her son’s medical team, Marissa says she sent Liu a text explaining that she was busy and felt more comfortable communicating in writing. She says Liu wrote back asking to personally apologize over the phone; Marissa says she provided her personal email address to Liu, who she says didn’t reach out.
“This is correct,” a Kyte Baby spokesperson responded via email. “Ying reached out to apologize over the phone and is still open to having a conversation.”
After Liu’s videos were posted, says Marissa, she emailed Liu and cc’d Kyte HR to acknowledge the TikTok videos. Marissa says she clarified that she won’t be returning to Kyte Baby, “despite the new offer to do so” and says she declined Liu’s offer to pay her salary for the hours initially proposed. Marissa says Liu didn’t respond.
“No company is perfect, but ... I don’t think that’s a healthy work environment for me,” says Marissa.
“It’s important for people to know that both biological and adoptive parents are families,” Marissa tells TODAY.com. “Companies should recognize that children and families always come before career and that flexibility may be required when life gets hard. That’s compassion.”
Jan 26, 2024 · The 26-year-old mother, Marissa Hughes, told Today.com the company fired her following the request, while Kyte Baby claims she “declined” to return to work in person. Whatever the case, Kyte Baby’s stance was clearly at odds with its parent-friendly image, sparking an online firestorm.
Jan 23, 2024 · Marissa has decided not to return to Kyte Baby. She also said she declined Liu’s offer to pay her salary for the hours initially proposed in her remote work plan.
Jan 22, 2024 · The spokesperson said the employee in question, Marissa, has "declined" the company's offer to return to her position at Kyte Baby.
Jan 20, 2024 · As customers vow to boycott, Kyte Baby said in a statement the employee "declined" its offer to return to the company, which sells infant clothing and sleep sacks made with bamboo material.
Feb 7, 2024 · And as was the case with Hughes, who turned down Kyte Baby's eventual offer to return to her position, primary caregivers who aren't given reasonable leave might quit their employers.
