Jump to content

Baidu

From Alfawiki
Baidu, Inc.
Company typePublic
IndustryInternet services, Artificial intelligence
FoundedJanuary 18, 2000; 26 years ago (2000-01-18) in Beijing, China
FounderRobin Li, Eric Xu
Headquarters
Beijing
,
China
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Robin Li (CEO)
ProductsBaidu Search, Baidu App, Baidu Baike, iQIYI, Baidu Tieba, Apollo (autonomous driving), Xiaodu (smart consumer electronics)
Websitewww.baidu.com

Baidu, Inc. ( ; ) is a prominent Chinese multinational enterprise focused on Internet services and artificial intelligence. It leads the search engine sector in China through its Baidu Search platform and provides a diverse range of online services, including the Baidu App—its primary search and news aggregation application—Baidu Baike, a collaborative encyclopedia, iQIYI, a video streaming service, and Baidu Tieba, a forum centered around keyword-based discussions.

In addition to its core search business, Baidu has ventured into rapidly expanding industries such as autonomous driving with its Baidu Apollo initiative and smart consumer electronics through the Xiaodu brand. With over ten years dedicated to AI research and development, Baidu offers an extensive AI ecosystem that spans software, chip design, cloud infrastructure, foundational AI models, and practical applications.

Founded in January 2000 by Robin Li and Eric Xu, Baidu is incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Its origins trace back to RankDex, an earlier search algorithm created by Li in 1996. The company's main headquarters are located in Beijing’s Haidian District.

Baidu became the first Chinese company to be listed on the NASDAQ-100 index in December 2007. By May 2018, its valuation reached approximately US$99 billion. In October 2018, Baidu was the inaugural Chinese member of the US-based computer ethics organization Partnership on AI.

The Chinese government recognizes Baidu as a strategic national champion enterprise.

Early development

In 1994, Robin Li (Pinyin: Li Yanhong, ) joined IDD Information Services, a New Jersey branch of Dow Jones and Company, where he developed software for the digital edition of The Wall Street Journal. His work focused on enhancing search engine algorithms, remaining with the company until June 1997.

In 1996, Li developed the RankDex algorithm for ranking web pages[1] and secured a US patent for this innovation.[2] RankDex was pioneering in using hyperlinks to evaluate website quality by analyzing inbound links—a technique known as "link analysis."[3] This advancement preceded Google's PageRank method by two years,[4] with Google founder Larry Page referencing Li's technology in related patents.[1][4][5] Later, RankDex technology was incorporated into Baidu's search engine.

Baidu was officially established on 18 January 2000 by Robin Li and Eric Xu.[6] In 2001, it launched a pay-per-click advertising system that allowed advertisers to bid for placement and pay solely when users clicked their ads—a model introduced before Google adopted a similar approach.[3] By 2003, Baidu had broadened its services to include news and image search engines that utilized technology to effectively categorize and cluster content.[7]

2005: Public Listing on NASDAQ

Baidu made its Wall Street debut through a variable interest entity (VIE) registered in the Cayman Islands on 5 August 2005.

By 2007, Baidu had become the first Chinese search engine authorized by the Chinese authorities to function as a comprehensive news platform, allowing it to offer original journalism alongside search results.

The company expanded internationally in 2008 by launching a Japanese language search service, marking its initial regular offering outside China; however, this Japanese search engine was discontinued in March 2015 due to unsatisfactory performance.

On 31 July 2012, Baidu collaborated with Sina to improve mobile search capabilities. Later that year, on 18 November, Baidu joined forces with Qualcomm to provide complimentary cloud storage to Android users equipped with Snapdragon processors.

Baidu unveiled its Personal Assistant application on 2 August 2013, designed to assist executives, managers, and white-collar professionals in managing their business relationships.

In May 2014, Dr. Andrew Ng was appointed as chief scientist at Baidu Research, overseeing operations in Silicon Valley and Beijing and enhancing the company’s artificial intelligence and research initiatives.

Targeting Latin American markets, Baidu introduced a Brazilian version of its search engine named Baidu Busca on 18 July 2014. Subsequently, on 9 October 2014, Baidu acquired Peixe Urbano, a local Brazilian e-commerce platform, to strengthen its foothold in the region.

2017: Autonomous Driving Initiative

April 2017 marked the launch of Baidu’s Apollo project (Apolong), a self-driving vehicle platform focused on accelerating autonomous driving technology through integrated vehicle and hardware platforms, open-source software frameworks, and cloud-based data services. The project officially commenced in July 2017 with ambitions to enable fully autonomous driving on highways and urban roads by 2020. In September of the same year, Baidu created a $1.5 billion fund dedicated to autonomous driving investments, targeting up to 100 ventures over three years while releasing Apollo open-source software version 1.5.

In June 2017, Baidu formed partnerships with automotive suppliers Continental and Bosch to collaborate on automated driving systems and connected vehicle technologies.

July 2017 saw Baidu GBU appointed as the official advertising reseller for Snap Inc.’s Snapchat across Greater China, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore; this partnership was extended in 2019.

During September 2017, Baidu launched a portable multi-language talking translator featuring Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities usable in over 80 countries. At the same time, Baidu integrated AI technology into smartphones via its deep learning platform. The company also led a $12 billion joint investment alongside Alibaba Group, Tencent, JD.com, and Didi Chuxing acquiring a combined 35% stake in China Unicom.

In October 2017, Baidu announced plans to introduce self-driving buses within China by the following year. That November, Baidu hosted its inaugural annual technology conference titled "Baidu World," emphasizing its AI mission, strategic direction, technological advancements, new product launches, and AI ecosystem development.

In 2018, the Chinese government recognized Baidu as one of its leading "AI champions."

That same year saw Baidu divest its "Global DU business," which encompassed utility applications such as ES File Explorer and DU Recorder; this division now operates independently under the name DO Global.

2021: Secondary Listing in Hong Kong

In March 2021, Baidu successfully secured a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, generating $3.1 billion in capital. This marked the most significant return for a Chinese company previously listed in the U.S. to Hong Kong since JD.com's 2020 listing event.

August 2021 saw Baidu introduce an innovative Robocar prototype capable of achieving Level 5 autonomy. This model incorporated a next-generation AI chip designed to interpret environmental data and deliver anticipatory services to passengers.

By June 2022, Jidu Auto, an intelligent electric vehicle manufacturer jointly supported by Baidu and Geely, showcased its inaugural ROBO-01 pre-production concept vehicle. The ROBO-01 is constructed on Geely Holding's modular EV platform known as the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA).

In August 2023, Baidu launched its large language model chatbot named Ernie Bot. An enhanced iteration, Ernie 4.0, followed in October 2023. Additionally, September 2023 marked the debut of GenAI Ernie, a chatbot powered by Baidu’s generative AI technology, underscoring the company’s commitment to AI-centric solutions.

Robotaxi

As of April 2024, Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, had completed six million trips utilizing a fleet exceeding 400 driverless vehicles across eleven cities, with Wuhan serving as its primary operational hub.

Domain Name Redirection Incident

On January 12, 2010, unauthorized changes to Baidu.com's U.S.-based DNS records redirected visitors to a website claiming affiliation with the Iranian Cyber Army, causing service disruption for four hours. In response, Chinese hackers targeted Iranian websites. Baidu filed a lawsuit against Register.com for negligence after its support personnel altered Baidu.com’s email settings without adequate verification, facilitating the domain hijacking. The dispute was resolved privately following Register.com’s formal apology.

Arrests of Baidu Employees

On August 6, 2012, three employees of Baidu were detained under suspicion of accepting bribes to remove posts from the company’s forum platform. Subsequently, four individuals were terminated in relation to this investigation.

Acquisition of 91 Wireless

On July 16, 2013, Baidu announced its intention to acquire NetDragon’s 91 Wireless, an app store operator that had faced scrutiny over privacy and legal issues. On August 14, 2013, Baidu’s wholly owned subsidiary, Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited, finalized a merger agreement to purchase 91 Wireless Web-soft Limited for $1.85 billion, representing one of the largest transactions within China’s IT industry.

2024: Introduction of Artificial Intelligence Models

On March 16, 2025, Baidu unveiled two advanced AI models: ERNIE 4.5 as a foundational model and ERNIE X1 focused on reasoning capabilities. The company asserted that ERNIE X1 delivers performance comparable to DeepSeek’s R1 model while operating at half the expense.

Name

The term Baidu () translates to "a hundred times" or "countless times," inspired by the concluding line of Xin Qiji’s classical poem "Green Jade Table in The Lantern Festival" (): "Having searched hundreds of times amid the crowd, suddenly turning back—she stands there in the faint candlelight."

Travel

Qunar (Qunar Cayman Islands Limited), a travel reservation service owned by Baidu, reported 31.4 million active users in 2013 and secured $167 million during its initial public offering that same year. The company is listed on NASDAQ.

Advertisements

Baidu's primary advertising solution, Baidu Tuiguang, functions as a pay-per-click system akin to Google Ads, allowing advertisements to appear on Baidu’s search results pages as well as on affiliated websites within the Baidu Union network. Nevertheless, Baidu’s search results are frequently saturated with paid ads, often occupying the majority of the first two pages, which has raised concerns about the trustworthiness of the results.

Advertising sales are conducted through a network of resellers. Since Baidu’s web tools are predominantly available in Chinese, their accessibility is limited for users who do not speak the language; in 2012, an independent developer created an English-language interface to support advertisers. Companies wishing to advertise must possess a registered business address within China or certain East Asian nations.

Competition

Baidu faces rivalry from various search engines and platforms such as Sogou, Google Search, 360 Search (www.so.com), Yahoo! China, Microsoft's Bing, Sina, NetEase's Youdao and PaiPai, Alibaba's Taobao, TOM Online, DuckDuckGo, and EachNet.

As China’s foremost search engine, Baidu commanded a 76.05% market share. By late 2015, with 705 million internet users in China, Baidu's influence remained substantial.

Despite Google's decision in 2010 to move its China-based search service to Hong Kong, Baidu’s portion of China's search advertising revenue expanded to 70% in the second quarter of that year according to Analysys International.

Baidu also sought growth in social networking around 2011 by considering a partnership with Facebook to develop a localized version of the global social platform. This project aimed to challenge established Chinese networks like Qzone, Renren, Kaixin001, and Tencent QQ.

In February 2012, Hudong lodged a formal complaint with China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce accusing Baidu of monopolistic behavior.

By August 2014, Baidu’s share of the search market had dropped to 56.3%, while Qihoo 360 (operating as so.com) increased its share to 29%, based on data from CNZZ.com.

In February 2015, Baidu was accused of engaging in anti-competitive conduct in Brazil targeting local security company PSafe and competitor Qihoo 360.

Regarding AI natural language processing benchmarks such as GLUE (General Language Understanding Evaluation), Baidu was ahead of Microsoft and Google as of December 2019.

Research and patents

Baidu has committed resources toward deep learning research and incorporated this technology into services like Phoenix Nest, its platform for ad bidding.

In April 2012, Baidu JDC long live filed a patent application for "DNA copyright recognition" technology designed to automatically scan uploaded files and filter out copyrighted content to maintain an infringement-free environment.

In April 2022, Baidu obtained authorization from Chinese authorities to operate the country’s first fleet of driverless taxis, launching ten autonomous vehicles providing ride-hailing services within a suburban area spanning 23 square miles beginning on April 28, 2022.

In July 2022, Baidu unveiled the Apollo RT6, an advanced autonomous vehicle planned for integration into its driverless fleet during 2023.

Censorship

Baidu has long been recognized as a stringent and proactive censor within the online search industry. Internal documents leaked in 2009 exposed comprehensive surveillance and filtering of websites and search topics conducted by Baidu.

In May 2011, a group of activists filed a lawsuit against Baidu in the United States, accusing the company of enforcing censorship consistent with directives from the Chinese government. Nonetheless, a U.S. court ruled that Baidu was entitled to restrict content under protections afforded by freedom of speech laws, resulting in the dismissal of the case.

By 2017, Baidu had collaborated with China's Ministry of Public Security along with 372 Internet police units to identify and suppress "anti-government rumors." This effort employed technologies such as natural language processing, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence to inundate platforms linked to Baidu with corrective notifications.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese authorities instructed Baidu and other internet companies to enhance their oversight of pandemic-related information and news coverage.

In November 2022, Sustainalytics downgraded Baidu's status to "non-compliant" regarding adherence to the United Nations Global Compact principles due to its involvement in censorship activities.

Death of Wei Zexi

The year 2016 saw Baidu’s pay-for-placement (P4P) search model implicated in the death of Wei Zexi, a 21-year-old university student suffering from synovial sarcoma. Wei discovered the Second Hospital of the Beijing Armed Police Corps through Baidu’s search engine; this hospital had been aggressively advertising an experimental cancer treatment. After investing roughly 200,000 yuan (around US$31,150) on this ineffective therapy, Wei passed away in April 2016.

This tragedy triggered widespread public outrage online and prompted an investigation by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). Reports revealed that medical advertisements represented approximately 30% of Baidu’s advertising revenue, much of which originated from profit-driven hospitals connected to the "Putian Network," a consortium associated with entrepreneurs from Fujian province. Following regulatory intervention, Baidu was required to implement disclaimers on medical advertisements and establish new channels for complaints. Moreover, Baidu began favoring content from its own platforms in search results, leading critics to argue that the core functionality of its search engine was compromised.

Commercialization of Tieba

Baidu sold online communities focused on hemophilia within Tieba to hospitals lacking proper qualifications. In January 2016, Baidu declared it would discontinue sales of all illness-related Tieba forums and restrict access exclusively to reputable public welfare organizations. Lin Jinlong, president of the Hunan Medical and Health Industry Association, observed that private hospitals were shifting away from reliance on Tieba advertisements or rankings; therefore, Baidu’s policy change was unlikely to adversely affect the sector.

DO Global subsidiary ad-fraud in downloaded apps

In April 2019, investigations uncovered that DO Global (previously DU Group), a subsidiary of Baidu, had created multiple Android applications that covertly executed background operations to generate fraudulent ad clicks without users’ consent, thereby inflating revenue. Among these six apps—collectively downloaded hundreds of millions of times—one boasted 50 million downloads alongside a user rating of 4.5 stars.

As a consequence of these findings, Google removed DO Global and more than 100 related apps from the Google Play Store on April 26, 2019, also banning them from its AdMob advertising platform. Another developer affiliated with DO Global, ES Global—which managed popular software such as ES File Explorer—was similarly banned and had its account suspended. This enforcement action dealt a significant blow to Baidu’s mobile app operations and sparked broader concerns regarding ethical practices in app monetization within China’s technology industry.

Ban in India

In August 2020, amid the 2020 China–India border clashes, Baidu was among multiple Chinese platforms prohibited in India due to concerns related to national security.

Communication chief controversy of 2024

In May 2024, Qu Jing (璩静), Baidu’s former vice president and communications head, encountered criticism on Chinese social networks for promoting a harmful workplace environment. A video circulated on Douyin depicting her asking a colleague to embark on a 50-day business trip during the COVID-19 outbreak. This event triggered extensive discussions regarding Baidu’s internal management and organizational culture. Qu issued a public apology and was reportedly dismissed from her role. Subsequently, Baidu’s Hong Kong-listed shares declined by 2.17%.

See also

Further reading

  • Lee, Melanie (19 January 2010). "NEWSMAKER-Baidu founder rules China's Web with pragmatism". Reuters.
  • Udeze, Chuka (26 March 2012). "Baidu Search to be Integrated by Apple on iOS Devices".
  • Kohout, Martin (30 October 2014). "Spyware Baidu to Sony Xperia smartphones". FreeBit.cz.

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named rankdex
  2. ↑ USPTO, "Hypertext Document Retrieval System and Method," US Patent 5920859
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nytimes
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named forbes
  5. ↑ Google Patents, US6285999
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :1
  7. ↑ Baidu Launched News Search Engine and Pictures Search Engine
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Baidu&oldid=44741"