On the China front in the global technology industry’s talent wars, foreign internet companies are losing.

Once upon a time, working for a big-name U.S. internet company held an allure for some in China. But these days, even prominent names are struggling to attract top talent.

Airbnb, among the highest-valued startups in the world, said over a year ago that it had brought on new investors in China in part to help it recruit a chief executive for its local operations. But the room-sharing company is still searching, according to people familiar with the situation.

Similarly Uber Technologies searched fruitlessly for over two years to find someone to head its China operation. Two months ago, the ride-hailing company effectively threw in the towel in China, agreeing to sell its operations there to Chinese rival Didi Chuxing Technologies, gaining a 20% stake in Didi in a deal that will value Didi at roughly $36 billion.

The difficulty in luring strong leaders is both a symptom and a cause of the broader trouble foreign internet companies have in China. Prospective executives avoid them because of the sense that foreign companies can’t succeed there—and the dearth of top talent makes it harder to successfully navigate China’s complicated market.