According to Jiemian News on May 21, Beijing Lagou Network Technology Co., Ltd., the operator behind the online recruitment platform Lagou.com, has officially entered bankruptcy proceedings. Tianyancha data shows that the company filed for bankruptcy review on April 29, 2026 (Case No.: (2026) Jing 01 Po Shen 387), and on May 15, a ruling was issued to initiate bankruptcy reorganization (Case No.: (2026) Jing 01 Po 209). Notably, both the applicant and respondent in this case are the company itself, marking a rare instance of voluntary bankruptcy filing. Currently, numerous user reviews on Lagou.com’s website date back half a year; its customer service hotline remains unattended, while official updates on Weibo and WeChat have ceased since March 2025. The Lagou app has also vanished from Apple’s App Store.
Founded in March 2013 by Xu DanDan and others, Lagou.com targeted the then-untapped niche market of internet-specific job recruitment, emphasizing ‘zero fake listings and rapid response times.’ Within eight months of launch, it secured $5 million in Series A funding; by 2014, its valuation hit $150 million following a Series B round, and in 2016, it raised another ¥220 million in Series C financing. At its peak, over 20,000 tech firms utilized the platform. In September 2017, 51job Inc. acquired a 60% stake for $120 million, after which traditional HR practices gradually replaced Lagou’s original entrepreneurial model. Xu DanDan stepped down in 2022, and subsequent missteps—including ill-fated expansions into education services and executive search—triggered multiple rounds of layoffs starting that year, stalling further growth. Meanwhile, BOSS Zhipin’s direct-messaging model reshaped industry dynamics, while AI-driven resume screening and job matching rendered Lagou.com’s unique advantages obsolete, leading to a steady exodus of users and clients until its eventual collapse.