Baidu’s chief strategy officer resigns as China’s leading search engine makes a big bet on ChatGPT-style future
- The resignation of Herman Yu Zhengjun was for ‘personal reasons’ and was not the result of a ‘dispute or disagreement’, Baidu said in a filing
- The personnel change comes as Baidu bets its future growth on developing an alternative to ChatGPT
The chief strategy officer and former chief financial officer of Chinese search engine giant Baidu has resigned, as the company ramps up efforts to become China’s artificial intelligence (AI) leader amid the renewed focus on AI triggered by ChatGPT.
The resignation of Herman Yu Zhengjun “due to personal reasons” will take effect on Wednesday, and was not the result of “any dispute or disagreement with the company”, Baidu said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday.
Yu will assist Baidu in “achieving a smooth transition of his job responsibilities”, the company added.
Yu joined Baidu in 2017 as chief financial officer from social and news giant Sina Corp. At the time, Baidu’s co-founder and chief executive Robin Li Yanhong said Yu and others would help “transform Baidu from a major Chinese company in the internet era to a hi-tech company with global influence in AI”.
In 2021, Yu was reassigned to the chief strategy officer role, responsible for “corporate strategy and business development”, the company said in a financial disclosure at the time. The move was interpreted by Chinese media as a sign that Yu might not stay long at the company.
Baidu is set to launch its alternative to ChatGPT, which it calls Ernie Bot, after completing internal tests in March. During last week’s earnings call, Li said that “by incorporating Ernie Bot [with] Baidu apps, and particularly Baidu search, we will have an enhanced user experience”.