As the visionary co-founder and current Chairman and CEO of Baidu, Robin Li navigates the company’s comprehensive strategy and daily functions. Over the past 11 years, he, along with Eric Xu, has effectively transformed Baidu into the leading search engine in China, capturing more than 80% of the market. Notably, it stands as the second-largest independent search engine in the globe. In August 2005, Baidu was launched on the NASDAQ, and in December 2007, it proudly became the first Chinese company to enter the NASDAQ-100 Index.
In his roles as chairman and CEO since 2004, Robin Li has been at the helm of Baidu's strategy and operations. Venturing into the tech scene in 2000, he has leveraged his experience as an engineer at Infoseek and as a senior consultant for IDD Information Services to build Baidu. Currently, he serves on the board of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc., a leading private educational service provider in China. Li holds a master’s degree in computer science from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a bachelor’s in information science from Peking University.
2023
At the forum, Robin Li mentioned that since the rollout of the Ernie Bot model on August 31, its usage metrics have skyrocketed. He pointed out that while China has rolled out over 200 significant models, the actual engagement with these models is rather limited. He emphasized that the utilization of Ernie Bot's model alone exceeds that of all these other models combined.API Additionally, Robin Li elaborated on the three fundamental ‘drivers’ that are essential in the era of AI advancements. Firstly, there's a surge in AI-native applications fueled by cutting-edge models. Secondly, a progressive mindset is crucial, with CEOs and executives needing to embrace this AI revolution. Lastly, the growth of a vibrant ecosystem of AI-driven applications is pivotal for economic progression. As of October 2023, he reported that China has introduced 238 major models, lamenting the surplus of such models without adequate native AI applications to leverage them effectively, stating it would be a significant misallocation of resources to continue producing basic models.
Baidu has surpassed revenue expectations for the third quarter, showcasing its deliberate focus on AI as a cornerstone for future development. The company's financial report showed a robust revenue of 34.45 billion yuan (equivalent to about $4.72 billion), slightly above market predictions. This impressive outcome is largely attributed to a rise in advertising revenue, alongside signs of economic revitalization in China. Baidu's diverse offerings—including self-driving technology and generative AI—have been critical contributors to its overall success.
Personal Brand Presence: 6/10, Authoritativeness: 7/10, Expertise: 8/10, Influence: 6/10, Overall Rating: 7/10. As the co-founder, chairman, and CEO, Robin Li takes the helm of Baidu’s strategic direction and operational management.
Robin Li stands as the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Baidu, steering the company with vision and strategic insight. Since he founded Baidu alongside Eric Xu, the platform has dominated the search engine market in China, capturing over 80% of the market share. Moreover, it holds the position of the second-largest independent search engine globally. The company made its public debut on the NASDAQ in August 2005 and notably became the first Chinese firm included in the NASDAQ-100 Index by December 2007.
