Bottom line: The departure of Lu Qi from Baidu could deal a setback to some of the company’s less advanced and more ambitious efforts in artificial intelligence.
Just a year after being named as the man who would lead search leader Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) into a future filled with artificial intelligence (AI), Lu Qi has abruptly abandoned his post as the company’s COO. Investors were clearly spooked by the move, dumping Baidu’s stock on Friday to the tune of a nearly 10 percent drop, the kind of one-day decline not seen since the company became embroiled in an advertising scandal two years ago.
Put simply, this particular departure seems to throw Baidu’s entire AI future into a bit of doubt. But then again, this kind of move seems to be quite par for the course for Baidu founder Robin Li, who has become famous for his “flavor of the day” approach that sees him delve whole-heartedly into new businesses one day, only to jettison them a year or two later. Read Full Post…