Baidu incorporated on the 18th of January 2000 with Eric Xu as co-founder alongside Robin Li. Robin Li developed RankDex in 1996 while working at IDD Information Services before establishing the company.
The company controls 76.05 percent of China's search market share according to 2015 data. This dominance increased after Google moved its China service to Hong Kong in August 2010.
Baidu invested $1.5 billion into autonomous driving projects over three years starting September 2017. As of April 2024 Apollo Go completed six million rides across eleven cities using a fleet that operates over 400 driverless vehicles in Wuhan alone.
Cyberspace Administration of China dispatched investigators on the 2nd of May 2016 following the death of Wei Zexi on the 12th of April 2016. His family spent around 200,000 yuan for experimental cancer therapy promoted through Baidu search results which triggered massive online discussions.
Baidu went public through a variable interest entity based in the Cayman Islands on the 5th of August 2005. Revenue reached CNY 134,598 million in 2023 according to SEC filings.