The world’s largest maker is reeling from fraud uncovered after an internal investigation of its employees. Bloomberg reports that Chinese tech giant DJI stands to lose as much as 1 billion yuan ($150 million) as a result of graft.
According to DJI, the company has fired the employees who inflated parts costs for personal gain have been fired and contacted authorities. The outlet reports that the investigation is ongoing, with DJI describing the situation as “extensive” with substantial damages per a press statement. DJI omitted details about the number of employees found to have committed graft.
DJI commands nearly three-quarters of the consumer drone market, according to Bloomberg. In a statement, company spokesperson Hong Yongxin confirmed the losses that DJI has sustained.
“These actions do not represent DJI, our culture, or our 14,000 employees, who work hard every day to serve customers and develop cutting-edge technologies. We are taking steps to strengthen internal controls and have established new channels for employees to submit confidential and anonymous reports relating to any violations of the company’s workplace conduct policies.”
“These actions do not represent DJI, our culture, or our 14,000 employees, who work hard every day to serve customers and develop cutting-edge technologies. We are taking steps to strengthen internal controls and have established new channels for employees to submit confidential and anonymous reports relating to any violations of the company’s workplace conduct policies,” the company said via a messaged statement. “We continue to investigate the situation and are cooperating fully with law enforcement’s investigation.”
Bloomberg adds that DJI has expanded its offering in the enterprise space, developing unmanned aeria vehicles for agriculture and surveying and investing in a software development kit to facilitate custom application development.
The outlet notes the company’s $1,999 Mavic 2 model as an example of a product geared for this growing market and cites deals with Southern Co. and American Airlines who will use the drones for power grid surveys and plane inspections, respectively.