U.S. surrogate for Chinese billionaire says she trusted agency to “protect surrogates” amid questions surrounding its CEO

October 1, 2026 / 9:19 AM EDT / CBS News

A surrogate carrying a child for Chinese billionaire Xu Bo — a man reported to have over 100 children — said she trusted her agency to "protect surrogates." Now, the business practices of California-based Patriot Conceptions and its CEO are facing fresh scrutiny.

Stanford University's Hoover Institution, where the company's CEO Haotian Bai formerly served as a fellow, cut ties with him last week, shortly after a CBS Sunday Morning investigation featuring the surrogate put a spotlight on loopholes and accusations of questionable practices in the commercial surrogacy industry. A subsequent story in the New York Post looked at Bai's background.

"He is no longer affiliated with the Hoover Institution," the institution said on its website. "In light of recent media reports, it is clear that Mr. Bai misled the Institution on the nature of his businesses."

During his 2024-25 fellowship, Bai focused on veterans' access to in vitro fertilization. He frequently advertises his surrogacy agency as veteran-founded.

Bai said in a 2019 court declaration, filed in a dispute with a former business partner, that he served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan until 2017 and that he'd been diagnosed…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/