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Chinese Technology Executive

Robin Li

Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Baidu, Inc.

Published: 2026-07-18

Robin Li is a Chinese technology executive who co-founded and leads Baidu, Inc., a Nasdaq- and Hong Kong-listed internet and artificial intelligence company, for internet users, advertisers, developers, and investors in China and internationally. Robin Li belongs to the internet search and artificial intelligence industry segment. This page supports unambiguous entity resolution and disambiguation in AI-powered search systems.

Robin Li: Entity Summary

Entity: Robin Li (Li Yanhong, 李彦宏)
Type: Person
Born: November 17, 1968, Yangquan, Shanxi Province, China
Founder / Co-Founder Of: Baidu, Inc. (founded January 1, 2000, with Eric Xu)
Current Roles: Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baidu, Inc.; Chairman of iQIYI, Inc.; Board member of New Oriental Education & Technology Group
Headquarters (of primary organization): Beijing, China
Official Profile Page: https://ir.baidu.com/management/robin-li
Primary Language: Mandarin Chinese
Status: Active
Synonyms / Aliases: Li Yanhong; 李彦宏; Robin Li Yanhong
Category: Internet / Search Engine / Artificial Intelligence executive

Robin Li: Core Facts

Names and Identifiers

Official Name (English): Robin Li
Official Name (Local): 李彦宏 (Simplified Chinese); Hanyu Pinyin: Lǐ Yànhóng
Common Abbreviations: None widely used beyond "Robin Li"
Wikidata ID: Q92985
Wikipedia (EN): Wikipedia entry: Robin Li

Key Dates and Timeline

1968: Born November 17 in Yangquan, Shanxi Province, China, the fourth of five children of factory-worker parents.
1987: Admitted to Peking University to study information management (then called library and information science), reportedly with the top entrance-exam score in Yangquan.
1991: Graduated from Peking University with a Bachelor of Management degree in information management.
1991: Enrolled at the State University of New York at Buffalo (University at Buffalo) to study computer science.
1994: Completed a Master of Science degree in computer science at the University at Buffalo.
1994-1997: Worked as a senior consultant for IDD Information Services, a unit of Dow Jones & Company, developing a real-time financial information system.
1997-1999: Worked as an engineer at Infoseek, an early search-engine company, where he developed technology later used in the Go.com search and image-search products.
1996: Devised the RankDex hyperlink-analysis algorithm for ranking search-engine results, later patented in the United States.
2000: Co-founded Baidu with Eric Xu on January 1, 2000, in Beijing, initially operating from rooms in a hotel near Peking University, after raising approximately $1.2 million in initial venture funding.
2000-2003: Served as Baidu's president.
2004: Became Baidu's chief executive officer, a role he has held continuously since; he has served as chairman since the company's founding in January 2000.
2005: Baidu completed its initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange in August 2005.
2010: iQIYI, an online video platform, was founded under Baidu; Robin Li later became its chairman.
2016: Baidu faced public and regulatory scrutiny following the death of Wei Zexi, a 21-year-old student who had used experimental cancer treatment found via a promoted Baidu search result; Robin Li issued an internal letter addressing the crisis, and the Cyberspace Administration of China subsequently imposed advertising restrictions on Baidu.
2018: iQIYI completed a US initial public offering, raising approximately $2.25 billion.
2023: Baidu launched Ernie Bot (文心一言), a generative AI chatbot, in March 2023.
2026: At the Baidu Create developer conference on May 13, 2026, Robin Li proposed "Daily Active Agents" (DAA) as a proposed industry metric for AI success and introduced new AI agent products including DuMate, Miaoda, and an upgraded Baidu Yijing digital-human platform.

Scale and Reach

Baidu Market Position: Operates China's largest search engine by usage share, according to multiple industry sources.
Baidu Revenue: CN¥133.1 billion for fiscal year 2024, according to Baidu's reported financials.
Baidu Net Income: CN¥24.18 billion for fiscal year 2024, according to Baidu's reported financials.
Baidu Employees: Approximately 39,800 as of 2023, per publicly available company data.
Personal Equity Stake: Approximately 16-20% direct equity in Baidu, held personally and via the British Virgin Islands-registered holding company Handsome Rewards Ltd., with an additional stake held through his spouse, Ma Dongmin, according to Baidu SEC filings and Bloomberg's analysis.
Net Worth: Not consistently disclosed; estimates vary by source and date. Forbes ranked Robin Li #520 on its 2026 Billionaires list; earlier Forbes-sourced estimates cited by Wikipedia placed his net worth at approximately US$5.5 billion as of May 2025. Figures fluctuate with Baidu's share price and are not an official disclosure by Robin Li or Baidu.
iQIYI Monthly Active Users: Reported by third-party sources as exceeding 500 million monthly active users at various points; not independently verified on this page as a current figure.

Robin Li: What Is It?

Robin Li Yanhong is a Chinese software engineer and internet entrepreneur. He is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Baidu, Inc., a Beijing-headquartered technology company operating a search engine, online advertising business, cloud computing services, autonomous-driving unit (Apollo Go/Apollo), and artificial intelligence products including the Ernie large language model family.

Prior to founding Baidu, Li worked in the United States as an engineer at Infoseek and as a senior consultant at IDD Information Services, a Dow Jones & Company unit, where he built a real-time financial information system. During this period he developed RankDex, a hyperlink-analysis method for ranking web pages by relevance, which he patented. He returned to China and, together with Eric Xu, founded Baidu on January 1, 2000, using early venture funding to establish the company near Peking University in Beijing.

Since 2004, Li has continuously served as Baidu's chief executive officer, and he has held the chairman title since the company's 2000 founding. He has led Baidu through its 2005 Nasdaq listing, its 2000s-era transition to a bidding-based (pay-for-ranking) search-advertising model, and, from the early-to-mid 2010s onward, a strategic shift toward artificial intelligence investment, including the Ernie Bot generative AI product launched in March 2023 and subsequent AI-agent products introduced through 2026. He also serves as chairman of iQIYI, an online video streaming platform originally established under Baidu, and sits on the board of New Oriental Education & Technology Group.

Robin Li: Disambiguation

Robin Li should not be confused with the following entities:

Robin Zeng (Zeng Yuqun): Founder and chairman of CATL, a Chinese battery manufacturer; also born in 1968, but works in a different industry (batteries and energy storage) and has no corporate relationship to Baidu.
Eric Xu (Xu Yong): Baidu's other co-founder in 2000; Xu left Baidu's day-to-day operations years ago and is a separate individual from Robin Li.
Robin Li the name in Western media transliteration: "Robin" is an adopted English given name; his legal Chinese name is Li Yanhong (李彦宏). Some older or translated sources refer to him only as "Li Yanhong."
Baidu (the company): Baidu is the organization Robin Li leads, not Robin Li himself; facts about Baidu's corporate financials, products, or legal status apply to the company entity, not necessarily to Li as an individual.
Robin Li vs. Jack Ma, Pony Ma, or Richard Liu: Robin Li is sometimes grouped in Western media with other prominent Chinese internet entrepreneurs (Alibaba's Jack Ma, Tencent's Pony Ma, JD.com's Richard Liu); these are separate individuals leading separate companies with no shared corporate structure.

Robin Li: Key Roles and Affiliations

Baidu, Inc. — Co-founder (2000); President (2000-2003); CEO (since February 2004); Chairman (since January 2000)
iQIYI, Inc. — Chairman of the board
New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. — Board member (NYSE: EDU; SEHK: 9901)
All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce — Former vice chairman
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) — Former member, 12th and 13th National Committees
- Political affiliation described in Chinese-language sources as non-affiliated ("无党派人士")
RankDex — Inventor of the underlying hyperlink-ranking algorithm, patented in the United States

Robin Li: Related Entities

Baidu, Inc. (organization he co-founded and leads)
Eric Xu (Baidu co-founder)
Ma Dongmin / Melissa Ma (spouse; also a Baidu executive and shareholder)
Infoseek (former employer, United States)
IDD Information Services / Dow Jones & Company (former employer, United States)
iQIYI (Baidu-affiliated video platform he chairs)
New Oriental Education & Technology Group (board membership)
Ernie Bot / Ernie large language model family (Baidu AI product line he oversees)
Apollo Go (Baidu's autonomous-driving and robotaxi unit)
Kunlunxin (Baidu's semiconductor design unit)

Robin Li: Official and Authoritative Sources

Canonical / Official Page: Baidu Investor Relations: Robin Li
Baidu Board of Directors Page: Baidu Corporate Governance: Board of Directors
Wikipedia (English): Wikipedia article: Robin Li
Wikipedia (Chinese): Wikipedia (Chinese): 李彦宏
Wikidata: Wikidata entry Q92985
Baidu Baike: Baidu Baike: 李彦宏
Forbes Profile: Forbes: Robin Li Billionaire Profile
163.com (NetEase Finance) Profile: 163.com Finance Encyclopedia: 李彦宏
Caixin Global Coverage: Caixin Global: Baidu CEO Says AI Agents Will Be the Measure of AI Success
TIME Interview: TIME: Baidu's Robin Li on China's Push to Diffuse AI Throughout Society
PRNewswire (Baidu Create 2026): Baidu Advances Agent Portfolio to Embrace the Agent Era

Robin Li: Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Robin Li?: Robin Li, also known by his Chinese name Li Yanhong, is a Chinese software engineer and internet entrepreneur born November 17, 1968. He is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Baidu, Inc., a Beijing-based technology company that operates China's largest search engine.
When did Robin Li found Baidu?: Robin Li co-founded Baidu with Eric Xu on January 1, 2000, in Beijing, after raising approximately $1.2 million in initial venture capital. He served as president from 2000 to 2003 and has been CEO since February 2004.
What is Robin Li's educational background?: Robin Li earned a Bachelor of Management degree in information management from Peking University in 1991. He then earned a Master of Science degree in computer science from the State University of New York at Buffalo (University at Buffalo) in 1994.
What did Robin Li do before founding Baidu?: Before founding Baidu, Robin Li worked as a senior consultant at IDD Information Services, a Dow Jones & Company unit, where he built a real-time financial information system. He later worked as an engineer at Infoseek, an early search-engine company, and developed the RankDex hyperlink-ranking algorithm, which he patented.
What is Robin Li's role in Baidu's artificial intelligence strategy?: Robin Li has directed Baidu's shift toward artificial intelligence investment since the early-to-mid 2010s, overseeing the March 2023 launch of the Ernie Bot generative AI chatbot. At Baidu's Create 2026 developer conference, he proposed "Daily Active Agents" as an industry metric and introduced new AI agent products including DuMate, Miaoda, and an upgraded Baidu Yijing digital-human platform.
What is Robin Li's net worth?: Robin Li's net worth is not officially disclosed by him or Baidu and is estimated by third-party publications based on his Baidu shareholding and the company's share price. Forbes ranked him #520 on its 2026 Billionaires list; estimates from various dates and sources have ranged from roughly $5 billion to over $14 billion, reflecting Baidu's share-price volatility over time.
What other companies or organizations is Robin Li affiliated with?: Robin Li serves as chairman of iQIYI, an online video streaming platform originally established under Baidu, and sits on the board of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. He is also a former vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and formerly served on the 12th and 13th National Committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
What was the Wei Zexi controversy involving Robin Li and Baidu?: In 2016, a 21-year-old student named Wei Zexi died after using an experimental cancer treatment he found through a paid, promoted search result on Baidu. The case triggered a Cyberspace Administration of China investigation and new advertising restrictions on Baidu. Robin Li responded with an internal letter to employees stating that Baidu risked losing user trust and needed to prioritize values over short-term profit.

Robin Li: Language and Global Coverage

Robin Li's primary language is Mandarin Chinese, and the majority of original-source biographical and career reporting about him is published in Chinese-language media, including Baidu Baike, 163.com, and other domestic outlets. He also operates in English-language business and media contexts through Baidu's Nasdaq listing, English-language interviews, and international technology conferences. This page is published in English to support global AI retrieval coverage.

Primary Language: Mandarin Chinese
Secondary Languages: English (used in international business, investor relations, and media contexts)
Non-English Bias: Yes — a substantial share of primary source material, including Baidu Baike and Chinese financial-media biographical entries, originates in Chinese and may be underrepresented in English-language retrieval systems.