Robin Li
李彦宏
Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Baidu, and a pioneer of China's search engine industry.
Biography
Robin Li (Li Yanhong), born November 17, 1968, in Yangquan, Shanxi province, is the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Baidu, Inc., the dominant internet search company in China.
With a passion for computers from a young age, Li studied information management at Peking University. He then moved to the United States to pursue a Master's degree in Computer Science at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. During his studies and early career in the US, he developed the RankDex site-scoring algorithm for search engine page ranking, a foundational patent that predated and was conceptually similar to Google's PageRank.
Sensing the immense opportunity in his home country, Robin Li returned to China and co-founded Baidu in January 2000 with Eric Xu. Under his leadership, Baidu successfully navigated intense competition and technological challenges to become China's leading search engine and a global leader in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technology.
Education Background
- 1994: Master's Degree in Computer Science, University at Buffalo, SUNY
- 1991: Bachelor's Degree in Information Management, Peking University
Major Achievements
- Co-founded Baidu and built it into China's largest internet search engine.
- Developed the RankDex algorithm, a pioneering patent in search engine technology.
- Led Baidu's successful IPO on the NASDAQ in 2005.
- Spearheaded Baidu's strategic transformation into a leading global AI company.
- Guided major investments in autonomous driving (Apollo) and cloud computing.
Business Philosophy
Robin Li is known as a "technology-first" leader. His philosophy centers on the belief that core technology is the ultimate competitive advantage. He has consistently prioritized long-term R&D investment over short-term financial gains, focusing on solving complex technical challenges to create superior user experiences. He is also a strong advocate for the potential of Artificial Intelligence to reshape industries and society.
Innovation and Impact
Li's creation of the RankDex algorithm was a seminal innovation in the history of search engines. At Baidu, he championed features tailored to the Chinese market, such as Baidu Baike (an online encyclopedia) and Baidu Tieba (a keyword-based community forum), which were instrumental in securing Baidu's market leadership. More recently, his all-in bet on Artificial Intelligence has positioned Baidu at the forefront of AI development in areas like natural language processing, computer vision, and autonomous driving, significantly influencing China's technological trajectory.
Timeline
1968
Born in Yangquan, Shanxi
EducationMedium ImpactNovember 17, 1968
📍 Yangquan, Shanxi
Robin Li was born in Yangquan, a city in Shanxi province, China.
1987
Enrolled at Peking University
EducationHigh ImpactSeptember 1987
📍 Beijing, China
Began studying information management at Peking University, one of China's top universities.
1991
Moved to the US for Graduate Studies
EducationHigh Impact1991
📍 Buffalo, New York
After graduating, he moved to the United States to pursue a Master's degree in Computer Science at the University at Buffalo, SUNY.
1996
Developed RankDex Algorithm
Pivotal MomentHigh Impact1996
📍 New Jersey, USA
While working at a Dow Jones subsidiary, he developed and patented his pioneering RankDex site-scoring algorithm for search.
1997
Joined Infoseek
Pivotal MomentHigh Impact1997
📍 Silicon Valley, California
Joined Infoseek, an early and prominent internet search engine company, as a staff engineer.
2000
Founded Baidu in Beijing
FoundingHigh ImpactJanuary 1, 2000
📍 Beijing, China
Returned to China and co-founded Baidu with biochemist Eric Xu.
2001
Launched Independent Search Site Baidu.com
Product LaunchHigh Impact2001
📍 Beijing, China
Baidu launched its own search site, baidu.com, shifting from a B2B technology provider to a B2C service.
2002
Launched MP3 Search
Product LaunchHigh Impact2002
📍 Beijing, China
Baidu launched its controversial but massively popular MP3 search feature.
2005
Baidu IPO on NASDAQ
IPOHigh ImpactAugust 5, 2005
📍 New York, USA
Baidu went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange, with its stock soaring 354% on the first day of trading.
2010
Google Withdraws from Mainland China
Pivotal MomentHigh ImpactMarch 23, 2010
📍 China
Google effectively withdrew its search services from mainland China, solidifying Baidu's market dominance.
2013
Announced 'All-in on AI' Strategy
Strategic TransformationHigh Impact2013
📍 Beijing, China
Robin Li announced Baidu's strategic pivot to become a leader in Artificial Intelligence.
2017
Launched Apollo Autonomous Driving Platform
Product LaunchHigh ImpactApril 19, 2017
📍 Beijing, China
Baidu launched Apollo, an open-source platform for autonomous driving.
Related Stories
A Bet on the Next Era: Robin Li's Lonely 'All-in-AI' Self-Revolution
In 2013, Baidu was in a 'period of confusion' during the mobile internet era. The growth of its search business began to slow, and doubts from the outside world were rampant. While everyone believed Baidu should focus on hot trends like O2O and news feed, Robin Li made a decision that unsettled both Wall Street and his own company: he bet Baidu's entire future on 'Artificial Intelligence,' a concept that seemed distant and ethereal at the time. How did this 'anti-consensus' gamble begin? And how did Robin Li persevere under the pressure of huge investments with no immediate monetization?
The Moat of Knowledge: How Baidu Baike Secured Victory After Tieba
Following Baidu Tieba, Robin Li launched another 'heavyweight weapon': Baidu Baike. This was an online encyclopedia where users collaborated to edit content. While Google was still focused on using web crawlers to index 'existing information,' why did Baidu choose the harder, more tiring path of 'producing incremental information'? How did this seemingly thankless product work in tandem with Tieba to build an unassailable, deep content moat for Baidu that competitors could not cross?
The Ultimate Showdown: How Baidu Tieba's 'Dimensionality Reduction' Won the War with Google
In 2003, Google's brand and technology reigned supreme in China, and Baidu seemed to have no chance. Yet, Robin Li quietly launched a 'counter-intuitive' product: Baidu Tieba (PostBar). This hybrid of search and social media was initially seen internally as a distraction. But this deceptively simple product became Baidu's 'nuclear weapon' against Google. How was it born? And how did it so precisely strike at Google's Achilles' heel?
One Crazy Night: The Thrilling Story Behind Baidu's 354% NASDAQ Debut
On August 5, 2005, Baidu went public on NASDAQ. It was a loss-making Chinese company with an unproven business model, and Robin Li's team worried no one would buy the stock. Yet, from its opening at $27 to its close at $122, the stock price skyrocketed 354% in a single day, creating a global capital market legend. What happened during those frantic hours? And how did this market frenzy completely change the destiny of Robin Li and Baidu?
Victory in the Gray Area: How Baidu MP3 Search Won a 'User-First' Gamble
In 2002, Baidu was in a fierce battle with the giant Google in the Chinese market. Trailing badly in traffic, Robin Li approved the launch of a highly controversial feature: MP3 search. This function instantly turned Baidu into a 'music mecca' for young Chinese users, but it also plunged the company into a vortex of piracy accusations. Facing potential legal risks and moral condemnation from competitors, why did Li insist on this risky move? And how did this victory in a gray area help Baidu secure its market leadership?
The Betrayal Gambit: Baidu's B2C Pivot Was a Gamble That Alienated Everyone
In 2001, Baidu was a comfortable and profitable 'behind-the-scenes' search technology provider for portals like Sina and Sohu. But Robin Li made a decision that no shareholder or client could understand: he launched his own independent search engine, Baidu.com, turning from 'partner' to 'competitor.' Why did this 'suicidal' pivot provoke such a strong backlash from investors? Facing threats of divestment, how did Robin Li defy everyone and bet the entire company's fate?
The Hotel Room 'Conspiracy': The $1.2M Founding Pact of Robin Li and Eric Xu
Silicon Valley, 1999. Robin Li had world-class technology and a dream to change the Chinese internet, but he was missing two things: a co-founder and seed funding. How did he convince his best friend, a successful biochemist named Eric Xu, to give up everything and take a risky, uncertain venture with him back in China? And how did he raise a lifeline of $1.2 million from American VCs for a Chinese company that didn't even exist yet?
The Silicon Valley Epiphany: What Future Did Robin Li See at Infoseek?
In 1997, Robin Li joined Infoseek, one of Silicon Valley's hottest search engine companies. For the first time, he had his hands on the pulse of the internet's beating heart. Yet, the deeper he went into the industry's core, the more he felt a profound sense of both loss and opportunity. Why couldn't a top American search engine ever truly grasp the nuances of the Chinese-speaking world? How did this experience as an 'outsider' lead to his final resolve to build a dedicated gateway for the Chinese internet?
The Silent War: Robin Li's RankDex Patent, a Revolution Before Google
In 1996, before Google even existed, a Chinese engineer working at a Dow Jones subsidiary in New Jersey quietly filed a patent for a search engine ranking algorithm called 'RankDex.' The core idea was nearly identical to Google's PageRank, which would become world-famous two years later. That engineer was Robin Li. Why didn't he use this world-changing technology to start a company in the US? And how did this 'shelved' patent become Baidu's core weapon in its future challenge against the giants?
Lost in the Library: How a Single Book Ignited Robin Li's Search Dream
In 1987, a young man from Yangquan, Shanxi, stepped into the Peking University Library for the first time. Faced with a sea of books, he felt not the joy of knowledge, but the pain of being lost. Why did it take an entire afternoon to find a single book? How did this 'failed' search plant a seed in a 19-year-old's heart that would one day change the landscape of the Chinese internet?