Chinese Man Executed for Murdering Billionaire Boss in Dispute Over Netflix Show

A former executive in China was executed for the murder of his billionaire boss following a dispute over a Netflix show. Xu Yao poisoned Yoozoo Game founder Lin Qi in December 2020, leading to his death on Christmas Day. Xu was sentenced to death in 2024 for the murder.

Yoozoo Game owns the film rights to “The Three-Body Problem,” a popular Chinese science-fiction trilogy. Xu was in charge of business related to this trilogy and the company. In 2020, Netflix acquired the rights to produce an adaptation of the trilogy, naming Lin as an executive producer alongside the creators of Game of Thrones.

The rift between Lin and Xu began when Lin decided to put other executives in charge of business operations instead of Xu, who had been leading the Three-Body Universe subsidiary. The company expressed deep sorrow for Lin’s death and confirmed Xu’s execution on May 21.

“The Three-Body Problem” series was released on Netflix in 2024 and follows a group of scientists facing an alien invasion. In the series, a group of physicists known as “The Oxford Five” in present-day Britain investigate scientific experiments that are failing, with the help of a detective played by Benedict Wong.

The series features an ensemble cast including Eiza Gonzalez, Jovan Adepo, Jess Hong, and Jonathan Pryce, with Brad Pitt, Rosamund Pike, and Rian Johnson as executive producers.