Doubao Debunks Boiling Slippers Rumor, Launches New Tools, and Gets ByteDance’s Internal Incentive Boost

On August 31, Doubao’s PR负责人 Liu Xing responded to the viral rumor that the AI chatbot recommended boiling a sun-warped slipper to restore it, leading to damage of both the slipper and the pot. Liu stated that Doubao does not provide such advice—when asked about sun-damaged slippers, it explicitly warns against偏方 like boiling. The original video creators admitted to intentionally guiding Doubao to give the wrong response and staging the content for fun, without labeling it as fictional, which led to misinformation as some media and institutions shared it as real news.

This is not the first time Doubao has addressed rumors in 2026. On June 30, Liu revealed that the platform detected nearly 100 accounts with the same IP pretending to be high school graduates, promoting competing AI products while spreading negative falsehoods about Doubao. On August 10, he refuted the claim that Doubao would charge for hotel recommendations: the life service business is in early stages, with no paid promotion activities; merchants only pay a basic channel fee after an order is completed, not the high commission model rumored online.

Amid market discussions, Doubao has maintained rapid iteration. In late August, it launched three core tool suites: Skill Store, Connectors, and Work Partner, with over 200 official and community-developed skills and connectors allowing users to customize and reuse work flows for personalized office scenarios. On August 25, it released 'Doubao Work,' an Agent product tailored for office settings to enhance AI automation and workplace efficiency.

Behind these efforts, ByteDance strengthened incentives for the Doubao team. According to First Financial on August 31, ByteDance raised the Doubao stock price from $14.85 to $17.02, increased share issuance, and allowed employees to adjust the proportion of Doubao stock in their compensation. This marks the third hike this year—following a rise from $13.08 to $14.85 in June—resulting in a cumulative 30% increase since April.

Sources

• Consumer Daily - Jinchao News
• First Financial
• https://emcreative.eastmoney.com/app_fortune/article/index.html?artCode=20260831190546161177760