Microsoft Executive Qi Lu Departs to Join China’s Baidu as COO

(Bloomberg) -- Baidu Inc. has appointed Microsoft Corp. executive Qi Lu its group president and chief operating officer, granting the software industry veteran oversight over the Chinese search giant’s business from sales to marketing.

The artificial intelligence expert, a former Microsoft executive vice president, will take up his post with immediate effect, Baidu said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday.

“To achieve our goals, especially in artificial intelligence, which is a key strategic focus for the next decade, we will need to continue attracting the best global talent,” Baidu Chairman Robin Li said in the statement. “With Dr. Lu on board, we are confident that our strategy will be executed smoothly and Baidu will become a world-class technology company and global leader in AI.”

Lu, who holds over 40 U.S. patents, joins as Baidu focuses on research into advanced technologies such as AI and autonomous cars, preparing for its next leg of growth as its core advertising business plateaus.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: David Ramli in Beijing at dramli1@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net, Edwin Chan, Reed Stevenson

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