Ex-Microsoft Office head Qi Lu joins Baidu as its COO

Baidu, a Chinese online search giant, has named Qi Lu, former Microsoft business group head, as its COO and Group President.

According to the company, at Baidu, Lu will be in charge of products, technology, sales, marketing and operations.

“A key strategic focus for the company over the next ten years will be artificial intelligence,” Baidu Chairman & CEO Robin Li revealed.

“Li is counting on Lu's leadership experience and knowledge of AI to help the company attract the necessary expertise to become a global leader in the field,” he said.

At Baidu, he will be responsible for the day-to-day running of a host of products, including search, advertising, mapping and payment services. But like its U.S. rival Google, Baidu is also delving deeply into artificial intelligence and machine learning, and is testing autonomous vehicles in California.

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