Robin Li

Robin Li
Born	Li Yanhong (1968-11-17) November 17, 1968 Yangquan, Shanxi, China
Occupation(s)	Software engineer, entrepreneur
Years active	1994–present
Known for	Co-founder and CEO of Baidu

Robin Li Yanhong (; born November 17, 1968) is a Chinese software engineer, billionaire entrepreneur, and co-founder as well as CEO of the global technology enterprise Baidu. As of May 2025, Forbes estimated his net worth at approximately US$5.5 billion.

Li pursued studies in information management at Peking University and later earned a master's degree in computer science from the University at Buffalo. In 1996, he created RankDex, an early algorithm designed for search engine ranking. Alongside Eric Xu, Li established Baidu in 2000 and has held the CEO position since January 2004. Baidu made its initial public offering on the NASDAQ stock exchange on August 5, 2005. Additionally, Li served as a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference between 2013 and 2018.

During Li’s tenure, Baidu has encountered several controversies, including the death of Wei Zexi, the endorsement of unqualified medical institutions on Tieba, and issues related to advertising fraud.

Early life and education

Born in Yangquan, Shanxi Province, Li spent his formative years there. His parents were both employed in factory work. He is the only son among five siblings, being the fourth child.

Li obtained a Bachelor of Management degree specializing in information management from Peking University. In 1991, he commenced doctoral studies in computer science at the University at Buffalo in New York but departed with a master's degree in 1994.

RankDex

In 1994, Li began working at IDD Information Services, a New Jersey branch of Dow Jones and Company, where he contributed to software development for the online version of The Wall Street Journal and improved search engine algorithms. He remained with the company until June 1997.

The year 1996 saw Li develop the Rankdex algorithm, which evaluated websites for search engine ranking purposes. This innovation provided a basis for his subsequent work with Baidu. It is noteworthy that in 1998, Google co-founder Larry Page filed a patent for the PageRank algorithm, which cites Rankdex as an influence. Li incorporated Rankdex technology as a fundamental element of Baidu’s search engine infrastructure.

Baidu

From July 1997 to December 1999, Li was employed as a staff engineer at Infoseek, an early internet search provider, where he played a significant role in developing the image search feature utilized by Go.com. Since founding Baidu in January 2000, he has expanded it into China’s dominant search engine with over an 80% share of search queries, making it the world’s second-largest independent search platform. Baidu went public on the NASDAQ on August 5, 2005, and was included in the NASDAQ-100 Index by 2007.

Recognition

Li has been honored multiple times for his contributions to innovation and leadership: he was named among the "Chinese Top Ten Innovative Pioneers" in 2001; recognized as one of the "IT Ten Famous Persons" for both 2002 and 2003; listed among the "Chinese Software Ten Outstanding Young Persons" in 2004; and acknowledged as one of the "CCTV 2005 Chinese Economic Figures of The Year." In August 2014, he was appointed co-chair of the United Nations Secretary-General's Independent Expert Advisory Group on Data Revolution for Sustainable Development.

Personal life

Li is married to Dongmin Ma, who is also employed at Baidu. Together, they have four children and live in Beijing, China.

External links

• "NEWSMAKER-Baidu founder rules China's Web with pragmatism" by Melanie Lee, Reuters, 19 January 2010.
• Robin Li profile. ir.baidu.com; accessed 3 May 2014.
• Robin Li lecture at Stanford University's Entrepreneurship Corner. September 2009; accessed 3 May 2014.
• Asia.com; accessed 3 May 2014.