Baidu Hires Ex-Microsoft Exec As COO In Artificial Intelligence Push

Baidu (BIDU) has hired Qi Lu to be group president and chief operating officer as the search engine giant emphasizes artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. Dr. Lu had previously been Microsoft (MSFT) executive vice president in charge of its applications and services unit. Lu stepped down late last year, citing medical issues from a bicycle accident months earlier. Lu previously ran on Microsoft's search unit and spent 10 years at Yahoo (YHOO) before joining Microsoft in 2009. "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 said in a statement.