HP manufacturing gaffe provides rare, unsanctioned look at Chinese assembly line

A manufacturing slipup by Quanta has resulted in a rare, unstaged glimpse into HP’s assembly process. Typically when the outside world gets a look inside Chinese factories, it’s a highly-coordinated affair planned well in advance; those in charge have ample time to ensure visitors are witness to nothing short of an ideal working environment. So we imagine Reddit user Malplace was rather shocked to come across the innocuous video clip you see below, which was located in the My Documents folder on his new HP laptop.

Unfortunately for those hoping such a blunder would blow the roof off treacherous working conditions, it seems life at Chongqing Manufacturing City largely resembles what we’ve seen before. Rather than a scandalous exposé, we’re treated to three uneventful minutes of employees quietly piecing together laptops on the assembly line. For example, the “highlight” of the clip comes when one worker directs a gaze at the camera as he presumably tests HP’s webcam software. Mundane as it might seem, though, any unsanctioned peek into these secretive facilities is a rare occurrence — particularly when it arrives on a freshly-shipped laptop.