The Chinese search giant has announced in a press release that Lu will no longer serve as its COO or partake in other active management roles at the company come July. Lu is hailed as one of the leading experts in AI and only came to the company last year, and since then has had an active role in managing many of the company’s projects. The unexpected step-down of Qi is due to “family reasons,” according to Bloomberg’s David Ramli. In a statement Lu said:
“I have deeply enjoyed working with Robin and my team at Baidu. I’m honored to have participated in Baidu’s transition into an AI-first company. Due to personal and family reasons, I am no longer able to work in China on a full-time basis. Baidu is a great company with strong talent and deep technologies. I am highly optimistic on Baidu’s future and will continue to support Baidu, while spending more time with my family in the U.S. For my next steps, I plan to work in research and investment areas, to help advance our shared mission to make a complex world simpler through technology.”
Huge news: Baidu President Lu Qi has quit all active management roles at the search giant, citing family reasons. He ran practically everything there. Story to come.
— David Ramli (@Davidramli) May 18, 2018
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
